The Cavalry Rides Again
by Mokibobolink
Summary: Set after 'South by Southwest'- Called to the aid of an old friend, the NCIS cavalry rides out again but this time Tony is hiding a dangerous secret. Ensemble cast in beginning, then h/c & Sick!Tony in end. Gibbs/Tony father/son. Not Slash. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Set after 'South by Southwest'-Called to the aid of an old friend, the NCIS cavalry rides out again but this time Tony is hiding a dangerous secret. Ensemble cast in beginning, then Gibbs/Tony father/son, Sick!Tony in the end.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of NCIS, I am simply borrowing for fun, not profit.

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_A/N – Hi folks! Well here it is, the famed "Tony and Gibbs on horseback" story I've been talking about for almost a year. I began this story before 'South by Southwest' aired and at first was quite disappointed as that ep made it AU. After some scenes in S4, I got the impression that Tony had learned to ride as a child and wasn't happy when he was portrayed as a "tenderfoot". But I decided to go back to work on my original story and have even worked out a way to make it pretty much AU. _

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

Chapter One

_Please don't let the phone ring…_

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Miserable.

That was the only word to describe how Tony DiNozzo currently felt - just plain miserable. No matter how many times he blew his nose, he still sneezed about every two minutes. When he wasn't sneezing, he could barely see out of eyes that were habitually squinted against the constant tickle behind his eye sockets. That "just about to sneeze" feeling that never went away no matter how many times his head exploded.

Tony was driving to work at 3am and if he hadn't just left at midnight, he might have gotten more than two hours of sleep for the first time in at least two weeks. Maybe if he'd been able to sleep he would've had a chance to beat the flu that was currently kicking his ass. It had all started right about the time that he and the boss had come back from their stint out West.

It hadn't started out as flu. It had just started out as a cold; a stupid cold that had turned into a stupid flu that had then turned into The Flu That Would Not Quit. Tony had thought it was bad before, but that was before TFTWNQ had settled itself on his doorstep. It had come walking in, taking off its hat and putting down its bags for an extended stay in his already exhausted body. After that, he found himself almost missing the cold. The cold had been easy compared to what had followed.

Not that he would even consider calling in sick to work and staying home. The sheer number of cases they were getting was surely some kind of a record and no one on his team (or any of the other teams for that matter) was getting any rest. Tony wasn't about to let TFTWNQ take him down and leave his team a man short when things were as crazy as they were. The damn thing was a virus, something smaller than the head of a pin, and he would be damned if it was going to make him quit.

He made sure that he didn't infect anyone else though. Using the excuse of being at numerous crime scenes, he'd taken to wearing gloves almost constantly. When anyone asked he would just tell them that he'd just been walking evidence to Abby or had popped in to check on something in autopsy. The gloves plus the antibacterial wipes stashed in his top drawer kept his hands from accidentally giving TFTWNQ to anyone else and so far it had worked perfectly. In fact he couldn't even remember the last time anyone in the office had been sick, which somehow only made it worse.

Tony felt another sneeze coming on and groaned in angry frustration as his eyes began to water again. There was about a 50/50 chance that he was actually going to sneeze, but until then he knew he was going to be in that agonizing in-between place that made him want to chop his own nose off. Just as long as it meant he wouldn't feel the tickle anymore.

Struggling to keep his watery eyes open, Tony silently prayed that this time he'd sneeze, just to have a few moments of relief. Someone must've been listening. A few seconds after the tickle began, he let loose with an explosion that was nearly orgasmic in its release.

Grabbing another tissue out of the box in the passenger seat, Tony blew his red and chafed nose while turning his Mustang into the Navy Yard. Pulling into his parking space, he stuffed a few more tissues into his pocket before reaching into the glove compartment to take out the small packet of throat lozenges he'd stashed in there. There was another stash at his desk, as well as a liquid cold reliever that he'd been taking every 4 hours like clockwork to stave off the worst of it while he was on duty. Between the lozenges, the liquid gunk and as much hot tea as he could get down his raw throat, he'd managed to fool everyone into thinking he still had nothing more than a common cold.

Gibbs never got sick with colds so he didn't really know when one should end. So far Tony had managed to keep under Ducky's radar, thankful that the ME had been just as busy as the rest of them. Too busy to keep tabs on Tony and order the team leader to send his Senior Field Agent home to bed.

Taking a swig from the bottle of non-drowsy (he didn't need help in that department) cold formula and grabbing some more lozenges to stuff in his pocket, Tony steeled himself to get out of the warmth of his car. It didn't help that it had just started raining again. The rain, much like TFTWNQ, had been relentlessly hanging around for weeks. Just when they thought it was over, another storm came in to soak them all again.

Tony got out and hunched his shoulders into his coat, pulling up the collar to keep the wind and rain from sneaking inside. TFTWNQ didn't need any outside help from the rain. It was the rain that had probably been partly to blame for the immense amount of work they'd all been buried under. Rain meant people getting into accidents - accidents that had to be investigated to determine whether or not there was any foul play. Rain also kept people inside – people who maybe didn't get along so well, were suddenly stuck together. Roommates who'd been together since flight school may suddenly find themselves in a shootout over such mundane things as the remote. Navy husbands might find themselves at the business end of a knife because they'd left the toilet seat up one too many times.

It all might sound positively ridiculous if Tony hadn't seen just those two cases in the past two weeks. He blamed the rain and maybe a little on the full moon from a few days ago. As Tony stepped inside the door, he was just glad it wasn't Halloween. Then they'd really be screwed.

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Another 17 hours passed before Tony was able to walk back to his car. The lead that had called him in at 3am had actually panned out. They'd spent the day following up and managed to find the scumbag who'd been attacking women after they walked out of the gates of a nearby base. All had been wives and daughters of servicemen, proving that the attacker must be in the service himself. As he'd been careful to pick women without the training to take him down themselves.

They'd tracked him down, picked him up and set Gibbs loose on him in interrogation for a few hours. After that, it had just been about paperwork, the freak crying for his momma and his lawyer as he gave them a glowing confession. Gibbs often had that effect on scumbags.

By some miracle they hadn't caught another case and once all the paperwork had been filed, Gibbs had ordered them all home. For once timing had been on their side, the case finishing up nicely on a Friday night. If all went well, they weren't due back on duty until Monday morning. Tony planned to spend every single moment of the weekend in bed asleep, hoping that more than two full days of rest would see the end of TFTWNQ.

When his key turned in his lock, Tony felt more exhausted than ever. His body knew that a bed and shower were nearby and what little reserves he'd managed to squeak out of it were gone. He barely made it to the shower, stripping off his clothes into a pile which he left on the floor. Standing in the scalding hot spray, he sucked in blissfully deep breaths as the steam temporarily cleared his stuffed sinuses.

Staying in as long as he could, Tony only left when the water no longer ran boiling and his legs began to shake. Putting on the robe hanging from the door, he dried his hair with a towel as he walked to the kitchen with eyes barely open. Grabbing two bottles of water, he poured himself a tall glass of orange juice and stuffed the pockets of his robe with more cold medicine. Taking the supplies back to his bedroom, he changed into the warmest pajamas he owned and crawled into bed.

Turning off the light, Tony first made sure that his phone was at his bedside and plugged in to the charger. He hoped that they weren't going to be called out but he wasn't going to take any chances of missing the call if they did. Once he was assured that all was well, he lay back into his pillows and pulled the thick comforter almost to his eyes. He shivered for a few minutes but soon his cocoon warmed up and he was able to relax. Mere seconds after his body became warm, he drifted off to sleep with only one thought on his mind.

_Please don't let the phone ring…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi folks! _

_Well here's the second chapter, hope y'all like it. _

_I've decided to have a little fun with this story and I'm going to let you, my readers, name some characters - the horses. So if you want a chance at naming Tony or Gibbs' (or McGee or Ziva's) horses, then go check out my blog. The link is on my profile page or you can just go to MokisFanfictionBlog(dot)com for more info. _

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Chapter Two

"_Looks like we're going on a trip."_

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There it was; the thing he'd dreaded most since the moment he'd slid under the covers what seemed like just a few moments ago. He'd hoped that it would stay away, that he wouldn't hear it for a good long while, but deep down knew that wasn't possible. It was his phone, ringing right near his head, right where he'd plugged it into the charger. Despite the fact that he could see it was still dark outside, he knew that any more sleep now was completely out of the question. Reaching for the blaring device, he answered it with his name just as he always did.

"Yeah, Gibbs…"

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"Tony, wake up."

For a second, Tony didn't know where the voice was coming from and he sat up in bed, blinking at the sunlight streaming through the cracks in his curtains. He heard the voice again, this time farther away and realized that his phone was in his hand. The thing must have been ringing and he'd managed to answer it while basically still asleep, something that happened every once in a while when he was really, really tired. Occasionally he'd find out about entire conversations he'd apparently had, all while asleep. Luckily that had never happened on the job. He doubted Gibbs would find any humor in finding out that Tony didn't remember speaking to him about a case, even if the talks happened in the middle of the night.

"Yeah, I'm up. What's going on?" Tony said sleepily, putting the phone to his ear this time.

"You are late. You need to get in here now." Tony now recognized the fierce whisper on the other end as Ziva.

Tony looked at his clock and was shocked to discover that it was a quarter past 7:00am. It had to be Monday morning because they weren't due in the office until Monday morning, but that was impossible. Tony felt like he'd only been asleep for a few hours, how could more than two days have passed?

"Tony? Are you listening to me? You are lucky that Gibbs is not here yet but we will not be able to make excuses for you for long. Get in here now!"

"Okay, okay…jeesh you don't have to yell, Zee-vah. I'll be there in a jiffy."

He hung up before she could ask what his getting there quickly had to do with peanut butter* and got out of bed. Walking to the bathroom, he was halfway there before he realized what felt so different. Stopping to take a deep breath, Tony sighed in relief to find that his nose was only slightly stuffy and the tickle behind his eyes had disappeared. He still coughed a little but it was nothing compared to before.

It appeared that TFTWNQ was no match for 48 hours (and then some) of sleep. As Tony got into the shower he struggled to remember anything over the weekend and didn't come up with much. Getting up for bathroom visits, a couple trips to the kitchen for more water and juice, an occasional meal of toast or soup – that was it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so long but apparently his body had needed it.

Stepping out of the shower, Tony momentarily lost his balance and had to grab the towel rack. Shaking his head against the dizziness that he wrote off to too much sleep and not enough food, he quickly dried off and got dressed.

Making it to the Navy Yard in a time that Gibbs would've been proud of, he double-timed it to the elevator. Jumping in right before the doors closed on the empty car, Tony once again felt dizzy. This time he noticed the tightening in his chest that he hadn't before, coughing a few times. Cursing the fact that TFTWNQ still had some surprises up its sleeve, Tony ignored it. He was feeling so much better that he really didn't care if the bug wanted to have the last word.

Coughing a few more times and rubbing his aching chest, Tony walked off the elevator to find only Ziva and McGee sitting at their desks.

"Where's the Boss?" Tony asked, sure that the man must be in Abby's lab or down with Ducky, and that a royal ass-chewing would be coming his way shortly.

"He's on vacation."

Coming around the corner, Vance entered the bullpen and walked up to Tony's desk. No one had noticed his descent down the stairs from his office, catching everyone off guard.

In the midst of securing his weapon, Tony stopped with his hand poised above the drawer, his sidearm faltering slightly as he stared at the man standing in front of him. He was having trouble processing what the other man had just said. The word "vacation" and Gibbs were hardly ever synonymous with each other.

"Vacation?" Tony asked.

"That's what I said, Agent DiNozzo. Special Agent Gibbs is on vacation," Vance replied calmly.

Tony, McGee and Ziva shared looks across their desks before all eyes settled back on the Director, who didn't move from his position in front of Tony's desk.

"Without telling us? His team?" Tony wasn't buying it. "Where did he go?"

Vance stared pointedly at Tony for a few seconds before answering, his reply outwardly casual but Tony couldn't help but to think that the man was choosing his words very carefully.

"Well Agent DiNozzo, if you want to know that, then I suggest you ask Agent Gibbs yourself. I think he should still be packing right about now."

Tony opened his mouth to say something more and caught the barest shake of the other man's head. The Director didn't want him to ask any more questions and had pretty much just ordered him to go talk to Gibbs.

"You know what, Director. I think that's a great idea. I'll go talk to Agent Gibbs. McGee hold down the fort. Anything important and you call me on my cell, got it?" Tony said, putting his gun back in its holster and holding the Director's gaze. Seeing another slight nod, Tony knew he was on the right track.

"Sure," McGee replied slowly and without asking any of the questions running through his head. He was no fool. There was something more going on, but judging from the looks between Tony and Vance, he wasn't going to find out what it was now.

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Tony walked up Gibbs' steps, noting as he did so that the Challenger was parked out front. The car was a thing of beauty, built in '71 and restored by Gibb and his father. It was yellow with black racing stripes and a rear spoiler. Tony took a moment to admire it as he always did before continuing on his way. If his boss was flying anywhere he'd probably take a cab, but Tony still had a feeling that the car being there meant that Gibbs was too.

Not bothering to knock (the door was never locked anyway), Tony walked inside. Normally he'd either find his boss sitting in the living room in front of a fire or down in the basement with his boat. Today though, he heard movement upstairs.

"Boss?" Tony called out, unused to finding the other man on the second floor when he visited.

"Yeah," came the reply and when nothing else followed, Tony started up the stairs. He walked down the hall and found Gibbs putting things into a duffel on his bed.

"Going somewhere, Boss?"

"Yeah, vacation," Gibbs replied, continuing his packing.

"Planning on telling us?"

"You're a good agent, figured you'd find out somehow."

"True. So now I'm finding out. Where are you going?"

"Arizona."

That stopped Tony up short. "Arizona? As in we were just there on a case a few weeks ago, Arizona?"

"Don't remember seeing that city on a map."

"It's not."

Gibbs continued putting things in his bag and neither of them said anything for a few moments. Tony knew his boss was going to tell him what was up, he just had to wait the other man out. While he was mulling over just how long he would wait, Gibbs pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tossed it to him. Tony caught it and looked at his boss with a raised eyebrow.

"Message."

Tony immediately dialed in to the phone's voicemail and listened to the only saved message. He noted that it had come in at 5:26am that morning. As he listened, he stood up straighter and locked eyes with Gibbs. When the message was done, Tony closed the phone and tossed it back.

"That the first time you heard from her?"

"Yep."

"Why isn't she calling anyone local?"

"You heard her, DiNozzo. She doesn't trust anybody. Sounds like she's got reason not to."

"Can't we…?" Tony began.

"Handle it as an official case? No, we can't. Agent Patterson's murder was solved. She's a civilian. It's not our jurisdiction."

"Right….so you're just going on……….. vacation?" Tony emphasized the last word carefully.

"Yep."

"You know what, boss?" Tony said pleasantly. "I think I need a vacation, too. In fact I bet the whole team could use one. Lift our spirits after these past couple weeks. Get everyone back on their game. You know?"

"Not asking for company, DiNozzo."

Tony sobered slightly. "You're not going alone, Gibbs."

Gibbs turned around from pulling a jacket off its hanger in his closet to look at Tony.

"You giving me an order, DiNozzo?"

"No boss. No orders here. Wouldn't dream of it."

Gibbs turned back to the jacket.

"But it's not a debate either," Tony said to his boss' back.

Gibbs didn't reply, his lack of response telling Tony once again that this was the plan all along. It explained Vance's odd behavior too, the other man obviously knowing where Gibbs was going and why.

"So how about I call McGee and Ziva and we'll turn this into a family vacation?"

Gibbs still didn't argue but he did turn around again to look his agent over slowly.

"You sure you're up for a trip?"

"Yeah boss, why….?" Tony paused as Gibbs simply stared at him coolly. Of course he should've known that his boss hadn't been fooled, knowing full well that his second in command had been sick. He'd probably been playing along the whole time, only allowing Tony to keep working because of the insane workload and the fact that he hadn't actually passed out on his time.

"How do you do that?" Tony asked wonderingly.

"Easy. You've been looking like the walking dead recently."

Tony chuckled, knowing that the other man was right. Fighting the urge to make a zombie movie reference, he continued. "But I'm good now. Promise. I didn't leave my bed at all this weekend and no, there was no one in it with me. I'm feeling…..okay maybe more like 95% of my normal self, but hey, that's a hell of a lot better than I did before."

Once again his boss said nothing and Tony knew he had won the argument. Truthfully he doubted Gibbs had been ready to take him out of the game, he'd just said something so that Tony would know that he knew about his little act. Taking out his phone, Tony dialed the direct line to McGee's desk.

"Probie, listen up. I need you to tell Ziva to put in vacation requests for herself, you and me. Something tells me that the Director is expecting them."

A slight smile from Gibbs as he continued packing his bag, proved Tony's suspicions were true.

"Then tell her to go home and pack for a trip and meet me at Gibbs' place in one hour. No, I don't want you to file your own……because I need you to get your butt home and pack up any of your geek gear that you can carry on a plane and get yourself over to Gibbs' place in an hour, too. Got it? Good. We'll see you in an hour."

Tony had been happy to note that McGee didn't ask too many questions, picking up on the urgency of the matter and trusting that he'd be filled in when the time was right.

"Alright boss, I'm going home to pack and call the airline to book tickets for me and…."

A folded pack of papers came flying his way, landing on the bed in front of him. Tony picked them up and found printed itineraries for all four of them. Oh yes, the boss had known exactly what Tony would do. Smiling at his boss, Tony put down the papers and headed for the door to go home and pack.

"Looks like we're going on a trip."

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_* - to my non-US readers (and anyone else not understanding the reference) - 'Jiffy' is a popular brand of peanut butter in the US. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey folks!_

_Here's the next chapter. Thanks to those who pointed out the mistake in my last note. "Jif" is a brand of peanut butter here in the States, not "Jiffy". My bad. _

_Just a heads up that the next chapter may take a smidge longer than normal. I've been asked to do a work project for a company I used to work for a few years ago. I'll be working 12 hour days and staying in a hotel that I'm not sure has wi-fi, so that means I'll be essentially "off the grid" for the next week or so. But I promise to get right back to this story as soon as I get back ._

_Until then, on with the torture…..erm I mean fun… ;o)_

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Chapter Three

_Stupid TFTWNQ…._

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"Dammit," the woman muttered, hanging up the phone and frantically dialing the same number again. She'd heard him pick up and say his name, proving that she'd gotten the number right. But before she could say a word the line had cut out on her end. The second time it rang and rang until voicemail picked up and she nearly cried. Knowing that staying in one place for too long was dangerous, she was forced to leave a message.

"Agent Gibbs, this is Dina Rissi. I don't know if you remember me, but you saved my life a few weeks ago and……I need you to do it again. Someone keeps threatening me. I don't know who…..but they keep finding me….no matter where I go. I don't know who to trust so….I'm trusting you. If you get this please come find me….at the only place I am safe….you should know where."

Worried that somehow her invisible pursuer would find a way to trace the call and listen in, she dared not say anymore and hung up. The bars on the cell phone showed that something was causing the reception to go in and out, she'd been lucky to get through long enough to leave a message. Looking one final time at the phone, she decided to get rid of it, tossing it into the bushes outside of her car window.

She knew that Gibbs (if he came) would probably be able to trace it, but she also knew that if he could then chances were her pursuer could too. She stayed in her car for another minute, looking around anxiously for any signs that she had been followed.

It had started pretty innocently the week before, an odd package of dead roses left at her doorstep and a card with nothing but a simple drawing of an arrow through a heart – a bleeding heart. Dina had thought nothing of it. She was quickly becoming a fairly well-known artist, even outside the small town where she lived in Arizona. Sometimes crazy fans came with the fame; it was all part of the game unfortunately.

Two days later another package arrived. More dead flowers and another card, this time with a message scrawled inside – "Your fault". Deciding that she needed to get away, Dina packed up a few things and went to stay with a friend, telling her that it had been too long since the two of them had enjoyed some "girl time". Barbara had happily invited her over and everything had seemed fine, until yesterday.

Barbara and she had been having tea on the porch and enjoying the coming sunset when Barbara's dog Dolly had started raising a ruckus. Barking loud enough to set off car alarms in the next county, both ladies were forced to get up and investigate, finding nothing amiss. Assuming that the animal had seen a critter running into the brush, they'd quickly forgot about the incident.

When Dina went to the guest room that night, she found another note on her pillow and had to cover her mouth to keep from gasping loud enough to bring her friend into the room. With shaking hands, she'd pulled open the envelope to read the latest message – "You can't run."

Acting like everything was normal, Dina told Barbara that she would be heading out early in the morning to go somewhere quiet and paint. She didn't want to endanger her friend, nor did she want her to worry. Waiting until deep in the night, Dina quietly stole from the house and put her things in her car.

With many glances in the rear-view mirror, she made it to her destination. Once there, she knew there was only one person she could trust and pulled out the business card.

Now as she looked around one more time, Dina finally decided that there was no time like the present. If someone had followed her there, they'd have had ample time to get to her already. She pulled her backpack from the car and threw it over her back.

Hoping that Gibbs had understood her cryptic message, she walked off towards her next destination. She had parked her car purposely far enough away that it would make it hard to guess where she was going.

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"Tony, will you knock it off?" Tim asked grumpily as his partner shifted restlessly in his seat again, causing Tim's seat to move around as well and bumping into the laptop sitting on the tiny foldaway table.

"It's these stupid airline seats. Why do they gotta make'em so freaking close together? A man of my height needs a little room, ya know?"

"Yeah well, I'm just as tall as you are and you don't see me squirming around like a five year old. Just sit still, will ya? I'm trying to get some work done."

Tony didn't reply, too busy trying to get comfortable. He knew that McGee probably did have reason to complain but the truth was he couldn't help himself. Tony couldn't remember the last time he'd been this uncomfortable on a flight, even riding in the back of a COD* with nothing but fabric straps holding him in.

They'd only been in the air for one hour of their three hour flight, but to Tony it felt like days. Maybe it was the after-effects of TFTWNQ, but suddenly every major muscle group he had was aching like crazy. Reaching down, he rubbed the long muscles in his thighs, trying to relieve the throbbing. The motion made his legs feel better, but that only reminded him how much the muscles in his back were bothering him.

"Let me out, Probie," Tony said finally, unbuckling his seat belt so he could stand up. McGee had offered to let Tony have the window seat, knowing that he'd probably have his nose buried in his laptop most of the time anyway.

"Where're you going?" McGee protested halfheartedly, already putting down the table and unbuckling his own belt.

"To the head, why? You wanna follow me or something? Look, I know you want to join the mile-high club, McGee, but I'm not really in the mood right now," Tony cracked, handily shifting the attention off of himself.

"Ha, you wish," McGee joked back and Tony raised his eyebrows in happy surprise.

"Nice comeback, Probie. Honestly, I'm proud of ya," Tony clapped his partner on the shoulder as he walked down the aisle. He didn't really need to use the facilities again, but sitting in the confines of his seat was downright tortuous and he needed to do something.

Walking a few rows back, he sauntered up to where Ziva and Gibbs were sitting. Sitting quietly in the window seat, Ziva was reading a book in a language Tony didn't even try to understand. In the aisle seat, Gibbs' head was leaning back into the chair with his eyes closed. Once again amazed at the ability of the older man to sleep anytime and anywhere, Tony chuckled to himself lightly.

Tony supposed it was probably the reason why the boss appeared to need a lot less sleep than any normal human being. He had apparently learned (from the Marines no doubt) to sleep whenever the opportunity raised itself, no matter how uncomfortable. Where other people needed a warm, comfy bed, Gibbs could simply close his eyes and be out cold in seconds.

Under his tutelage, his team did their best to adopt the strategy themselves. Tony could fall asleep nearly as easily and in almost as uncomfortable positions, but the boss was still the king. Later that night, when the rest of them were feeling exhausted and ready for sleep, Gibbs would still be wide awake, taking advantage of the couple hours of sleep snatched on an airplane.

"Good book?" Tony asked Ziva casually when he got close enough to be heard over the constant dull roar inside the cabin.

Ziva looked up with a smile. "Yes, it is. No matter how many times I read it, I can never seem to get enough. I especially like the part when they fly on the brooms."

At Tony's puzzled look, Ziva clarified. "I am reading the first Harry Potter book again."

"Wow, isn't this your third time reading them all?"

"Fifth," she went to put her nose back into her book, but paused to look at him more closely.

"Are you sure you are over your cold, Tony? You look flushed."

"It's just the change in air pressure, gets me every time," he started to walk past her seat, heading towards the bathrooms a few rows back. "Enjoy your book."

He was gone before Ziva could say anything else and she returned to her book with a shrug. The last time her partner had been acting strangely, she had assumed he was ill. Later she had found out he'd simply been undercover. She had learned not to jump to conclusions when it came to Tony. So if he said he was fine, despite how he may look, Ziva was more inclined to believe him.

In the seat next to her, Gibbs opened his eyes, having heard everything. Gibbs' ability to sleep anywhere had nothing on his ability to play possum when he wanted. With Ziva immersed in her book, Gibbs waited a minute or two until Tony passed by again on his way back to his seat. Casting a critical eye over his senior field agent, Gibbs immediately saw what Ziva had mentioned. The younger man did appear to be slightly flushed but he could see no other outward signs that anything was wrong.

Watching as Tony and McGee settled themselves back down into their seats, Gibbs decided that for once Tony was probably right and gave him the benefit of the doubt. He knew the younger man had been sick but everything seemed to indicate that it was nothing but a simple cold, maybe a flu. But truthfully the guy was looking better than he had in weeks, so Gibbs let it go. Closing his eyes again, the team leader really did go to sleep this time.

A few rows ahead, Tony was trying to get comfortable to no avail. As he struggled, rubbing a hand over his forehead and trying to get rid of the headache that had come out of nowhere, Tony grumbled silently to himself.

_Stupid TFTWNQ…._

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_*COD - The C-2A Greyhound , twin-engine cargo aircraft designed to land on aircraft carriers, provides critical logistics support to aircraft carriers. Nicknamed the "COD" for its Carrier Onboard Delivery mission._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi folks!_

_So sorry for such a long delay in between chapters, but I'm finally back from my long road trip. One job actually turned into three (in two different cities). For more than four weeks I worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, staying in multiple hotels and it's taken me a while to catch up enough to be able to work on this story. I appreciate y'all hanging in there with me. _

_And now, here are the winners of my "Name That Horse!" contest over on my blog….drumroll please…_

_Tony's horse is Brittles – congrats to AZGirl!_

_Gibbs' horse is Ahab – congrats to Pandi19!_

_McGee's horse is Gandolph – congrats to Sensue!_

_Ziva's horse is Bowie – congrats to Hannah!_

_Dina's horse is Comanche – congrats to Twomoms!_

_Once again thanks to everyone who voted, I had tons of fun picking out the names as y'all came up with some great suggestions! The horses should be making their appearance in the next chapter. :o)_

_Also a special thanks to AZGirl for her help with details about Arizona, its climate, roads, etc that have been invaluable to this story. _

_Until then, on with the story….._

Chapter Four

_Blood. _

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"Clear," Tony called out clearly, holstering his weapon as the rest of the team did likewise. One sweep of Dina Rici's house and they all knew that no one was there.

"McGee," Gibbs said quietly, pointing to a laptop on the small desk nearest the front window. The view outside was spectacular, a mountain and desert landscape that made it easy to see why the woman chose the spot for her computer. She often painted outside and Gibbs guessed she wanted to be as close to nature as possible. Even when dealing with the mundane task of checking her emails.

"On it," the younger agent replied, sitting down and going to work on the machine.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs indicated with a sideways dip of his head for his Senior Field Agent to check out the back yard of the property.

One more nod from Gibbs and Ziva was on her way to check out Dina's bedroom. The team may not be on an official case, but each of them took their assigned tasks seriously. They were searching for anything that might tell them who might be after the artist.

Gibbs walked around the living room, listening to the sound of McGee's fingers tapping away on the keypad nearby. He already knew from Dina's message that it wasn't likely they were going to find the woman at her home. But Gibbs also knew that if Dina had made the call under duress (say with someone holding a gun to her head), she could have said that just to keep them away. Better to be safe than sorry, that was one of Gibbs' mottos. He wasn't sure anymore, but it might have even been a rule. The list was getting so long, it was hard to keep track.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Gibbs started to walk towards the bedroom to get an update from Ziva when the Israeli walked back in to the living room.

"It appears she left of her own accord, Gibbs."

"Yeah, why is that?"

"Some clothes and a few personal items are missing from her room and bathroom. It appears she packed lightly, perhaps for a weekend jumpaway."

"Getaway," McGee corrected automatically without looking up from the screen. "Boss, there's nothing on her computer or in her emails. If someone was making threats, they weren't doing it by any online means I could find."

"Then how?" Ziva asked curiously. "Mail?"

"Or hand delivered," Gibbs replied, his eyes going towards the back window where he could see Tony slowly walking around, the man's eyes peeled on the ground below him.

Tony had been happy to take the duty outside, hoping that the fresh air would help with his headache. He'd thought that it was just from the change in air pressure from the flight but even after over an hour on the ground, the dull ache in his skull was still there.

Deciding to put his mind on his work and off of the various aches and pains running through his body, Tony began looking around the back of the house. As he looked around him, he squinted against the mid-day sun, surprised how much brighter it seemed that in D.C. Pulling his hat father down on his head, he slid his sunglasses farther up his nose, trying to block out as much of the glare as he could.

Tony found Dina's car parked in the car port with no signs that the woman had been in a rush when she'd put it there. Walking towards the fence that ran along the edge of the property, his keen eyes spotted something and he slowed, taking a closer look.

"Got something, DiNozzo?" Gibbs' voice rang out from the back door, his timing as perfect as ever.

"Looks like footprints, Boss. One set, kinda small, but not circus freak small. So I'd guess they're either made from a tall female or a not so tall male. Looks like the same person came….," he paused, looking around to get the details right. "…once…no wait, make that twice, up to the house."

Gibbs stayed where he was, not wanting to disturb any other footprints and letting Tony finish the job on his own. As he watched, DiNozzo paused to tug at his cap reflexively, rubbing at his temple. The team leader began to wonder if the other man was as well as he claimed, but an instant later Tony looked fine again. Deciding that Dina's safety had to take precedence and vowing to check more closely on his agent later, Gibbs turned from the door and headed towards the kitchen while Ziva and McGee looked around the living room. Thinking about the footprints outside and the mention Dina had made about threats, Gibbs' gut threw out a suggestion.

Going to the trash can next to the refrigerator in the corner, Gibbs flipped off the lid and tossed it on to the floor. Reaching in with gloved hands, he perused through the contents. Ignoring the smell (this wasn't his first foray into someone's old trash, though he honestly could say he wish it would be the last), he pulled out various items and laid them on the floor until he found what looked like an envelope.

"Got something," Gibbs said to his team, pulling out the object and reading the scrawled words inside.

The others walked in to the kitchen, Gibbs showed them the note and McGee's eyebrows shot up when he saw the image of the bleeding heart and the words _"Your fault"_ written inside.

"Looks like a threat to me, Boss. Guess we know she was definitely telling the truth now."

"More than one threat, I believe," Ziva replied, her hand pulling out a second note. This one only had a bleeding heart drawn inside but there was no doubt it was done by the same hand as the first.

Gibbs tossed his note back into the trash. No official case meant no evidence to collect.

Tony came in from the back door, wiping his feet on the small rug on the stoop as he did so.

"Nothing else outside, Boss. Just one set of prints but it looks like they came twice."

"They did Tony, we found two threatening letters that must've been left at the door," McGee said.

"What do we do now, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

"We find her."

"Boss, I should be able to do a trace on her cell. If it's still on, we can track it down," McGee suggested.

"Do it."

Gibbs doubted she had the thing on her, knowing she was fully aware that it was traceable. He thought a moment of simply telling McGee to forget it and heading off to the location she'd hinted at in her phone call. But once again he had to be sure. If someone got to her before she was able to escape to her hiding place, then the cell might be the only way to find her now. He couldn't afford to take anything for granted. Taking things for granted was a probie mistake, one that sometimes got people killed.

Twenty minutes later they were all hanging on for dear life as Gibbs drove the rental car in his usual manner. McGee's trace had worked and they were zeroing in on Dina's cell phone signal. Only able to get a general fix at first, McGee was directing Gibbs through the arid desert mountain roads as the signal grew stronger.

"You planning on giving us an actual fix at any point, Probie or are we destined to roam the desert forever?" Tony griped from his spot in the front seat. Up until about twenty minutes ago, the team had thought that Gibbs driving the streets of D.C. was scary. That was before they'd been treated to a ride in a car careening around twists and turns as it headed up into some ungodly area of the mountains that no one but Tony had seen before.

"Leave me alone, DiNozzo," McGee griped back. "This is not as easy as it looks."

Tony spared a glance into the backseat and decided maybe he should give his partner a break. McGee was trying to track down the signal while stuffed into the backseat with Ziva, his laptop sitting on his lap. None of the above was easy but add into that the fact that everyone in the vehicle was getting slammed back and forth as their driver (happily it seemed) sped along the winding road, and it was very nearly impossible.

Tony had only said something in an attempt to get his mind off of the fact that Gibbs' driving was making him sicker than normal. Carsickness when driving with Gibbs was nothing new. But with the headache, muscles still sore from sitting squished on the plane for a few hours and the insanely bright sunlight practically burning his retinas, Tony was beyond miserable.

_Great, now I'm almost missing TFTWN_, Tony thought as Gibbs took a particularly hair-raising turn without even bothering to put his foot on the brake.

White lipped and silent ever since their ride had begun, Ziva finally spoke up hopefully.

"I see a red light, is that good, McGee? Perhaps you have found something?"

McGee kept typing and didn't look up as he replied. "Yep, looks like we've got a fix, Boss."

"Where, McGee?" Gibbs asked without any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

"Just stay on this road….the uh….I-17, going north. We have to get to the other side of this mountain and then we'll be almost on top of her signal."

Gibbs' only reply was to step on the gas hard, making even the usually taciturn Ziva gasp in fear.

Keeping his stomach in check by sheer willpower, Tony grabbed tighter onto the handle above his head (and thanking whatever kind person it was that invented those handles) and groaned silently as he squished his eyes closed tighter.

"Closing your eyes only makes it worse, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, knowing his Senior Field Agent's penchant for getting carsick.

Tony knew the older man was right, but right then he didn't really want to see how high up they were getting and how close his boss was driving them to the edge of the road. The view down was very pretty, but also very long.

When Gibbs reached the top of the hill, the road thankfully flattened out and everyone breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"Heard about this road from Sheriff Boyd ," Gibbs said casually, still driving just as fast but without the twisting and turning (and the climbing ever higher with each turn), it wasn't nearly as scary. "s'posed to be a lot more fun going down the other way."

No one in the car wanted to think about what awful possibility that comment was going to lead to, but before they could ponder it for long, they came to the end of the nice straight road they'd been travelling on. Taking the corner just a smidge slower than the last, Gibbs lulled his crew into a false sense of security. As they turned, they saw what lay ahead of them and soon the only open eyes left in the vehicle were that of the smiling driver.

"Hang on," Gibbs said cryptically and unnecessarily as everyone had already scrambled for the handles above their heads. Letting the car coast, Gibbs proceeded to take each turn without so much as touching the brake. Within seconds they began speeding up, the incline of the hill carrying them down like a runaway toboggan.

Ziva began mumbling what could only be fervent prayers and silently Tony and McGee joined in, all of them praying that their boss really was as good of a driver as he thought he was.

---------

"This is it, Boss. We're within 20 meters of the signal," McGee said a while later and once again there was a collective sigh of relief as Gibbs pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Like people adrift at sea for months, McGee, Tony and Ziva piled out of the car onto the sweet (and not moving) land.

Without a word to anyone Tony headed straight for the nearest bush and was promptly sick.

"You okay Tony?" McGee asked with a worried look. Gibbs looked up from searching the nearby brush when he heard the query, worry flashing across his features as well.

"Never better, Probie," Tony replied after a few seconds, his hand popping up out of the bush giving the thumbs up to show them all he was fine. "Not the first time the Boss' driving has brought up my most recent meal and I doubt it'll be the last."

Gibbs grinned, returning to his search reassured that his agent was no worse for wear.

Allowing himself a few extra seconds to regain his composure while everyone set about to search the area, Tony sat on his knees. Wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand he took a few breaths to calm his stomach. The headache and muscle aches were still there but his stomach actually felt a little better, which he took as a good sign.

Raising himself up off the ground with a groan, he coughed a little bit. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped off his mouth and stuffed it back into his pocket without a glance. Had he not been in such a hurry, he would have noticed something on it that was definitely not "fine".

Blood.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi folks! _

_Sorry for the delay, hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. As always, thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites, follows, etc. You guys rock!_

_-Moki_

Chapter Five

…_and then all hell broke loose. _

"Boss, I got it!" McGee held up the cell phone, immediately typing in keys to see the last number dialed.

"Looks like yours was the last number she called, Boss," McGee said as the team leader came up, Tony and Ziva right behind him.

"What about before?" Gibbs asked.

McGee was already pressing more keys, frowning as he squinted at the screen. "Looks like all other calls in and out, for at least a week, have been just friends. All of them are in her contact book, Boss."

"Time to go to the cabin, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Time to go to the cabin," Gibbs confirmed.

Tony, McGee and Ziva turned to the car but Gibbs paused, looking around the area where they'd been searching. The cell phone had been tossed out into the brush by the side of the road, nowhere near anything that would give someone a clue as to where Dina had gone. She must have done it on purpose to hide her tracks, but Gibbs couldn't help but to think that she may have been trying to tell him something.

Walking closer to the edge of the clearing, Gibbs noticed that the ground dropped away, giving him a view of a small valley below. Stepping up the edge, Gibbs looked down and saw something that made him smile.

"Hey!" Gibbs called out, causing his team to stop and look at him questioningly. "Stay here, do a thorough search. Back in ten," he ordered, trotting up to the car and starting the engine.

Ten minutes later, the team had searched behind every bush and every cactus, coming up with nothing more than the cell phone they'd found originally. As if on cue, Gibbs returned just as they were ready to give up.

"C'mon," Gibbs said, waving them back to the car. "Let's go."

Gibbs drove for a few minutes in silence and just before anyone could come up with the nerve to ask the team leader where he'd been, he pulled off into a small dirt parking lot.

"Horses?" Ziva asked in surprise as they got out of the car, noticing the large sign on the side of what appeared to be a barn.

_Guided Trail Rides – Horses For Rent _

"Didn't think we were gonna fly up there, did ya?" Gibbs asked with a grin, opening the trunk and reaching inside for his bag, then stepping aside as everyone else followed suit. Per Gibbs' instructions back in DC, everyone had packed lightly and included a sleeping bag with their gear.

"Made a call to Sheriff Boyd and he got them to give us a few horses with no guide. Ready for another ride, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he led the group into the nearest building where four horses were standing saddled and ready to go.

Tony grinned obligingly, letting the boss enjoy his joke. As soon as the man's back was turned, the Senior Field Agent relaxes his features, adopting a more pensive look as he spied the animals.

He and Gibbs had worked on a theory with the team before they'd left home. They all figured they were working with a wacked-out fan of the woman's art. It didn't mean that Dina was in any less danger, but dealing with a crazy fan and dealing with a highly trained assassin (as they had the last time they'd saved her life, just a couple weeks before), were two totally different things. Gibbs and his team had training and years of experience on their side. A nutcase didn't.

Tony had hoped that a crazy fan would mean that maybe they could take care of it in town, without the need to track down Dina at her remote cabin. Now there was no other option but to ride out there and find her.

It wasn't that Tony disliked the idea of riding, although truthfully he'd prefer it if he weren't still feeling like crap. No, what Tony didn't like was the idea that he was going to have to lie to his boss again and pretend he hadn't been riding since he could walk.

Tony usually never mentioned his experience with horses (unless it was to impress a pretty girl), too afraid of the ridicule that would come his way. Admitting that you competed in dressage and showjumping when you were a kid just didn't seem like a good idea. A sport where the Olympians competed in tight pants and dress jackets, or worse yet, topcoats and tails? Yeah, right. He'd never hear the end of it from Probie.

There was another reason too, one that he didn't like to think about too much. Admitting that he used to ride would entail discussing his childhood, bringing up memories Tony fought hard to forget.

Before Tony could ponder his problem any further a man approached, coming out from behind a horse he'd apparently just finished saddling. He was so western he almost looked like a caricature of a cowboy; big hat, boots and a belt buckle the size of a dinner plate.

"Mr. Gibbs, is this your group? Well you weren't kidding, were you? I sure hope these city slickers can handle a couple days on the range. Now I've got each geared up with feed in case the grass is sparse and here's a map with all the watering holes around for miles," he handed a folded piece of paper to Gibbs, then held up a finger. "Now Sheriff Boyd says you know what you're doing and I trust him, but I expect all my horses to come back in the same condition they left my barn, ya hear?"

Gibbs nodded, shaking the man's hand. "It's a deal, Jake."

As Jake started helping everyone put their packs and sleeping bags onto the backs of their mount's saddles, Tony managed to get Gibbs alone for a few seconds and raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "Your 'group', Gibbs?"

"Had to tell him I was a private guide who needed some horses. Seems 'mine' came down with strangles, a highly contagious but not deadly disease. Had to call Boyd to back me up."

"How is he?" Tony asked. Boyd had taken a bullet to the gut when he and Gibbs had been there a couple weeks ago. The bounty hunter after Dina managed to clip the old lawman before Gibbs shot the guy out of the sky, sending him and his helicopter crashing into the desert.

"Back at home, pretty much recovered but not enough to ride. Told him we were fine on our own."

Tony nodded and Gibbs headed towards his horse, pulling on straps and checking to make sure everything was secure.

"Gonna get my stuff packed then I'll be over to help you with yours, DiNozzo."

Tony mumbled something, not really answering, glad that Gibbs was too preoccupied to notice.

He had already managed to fool the boss once. This time Tony wasn't sure if he could pull it off again.

It had been easy, that first time, to pretend that he hadn't ridden a day in his life. He'd stepped into the role of the "greenhorn" as easily as he did any other role he took when going undercover. In fact, Tony's skills as an undercover agent that had helped him sell it. The discomfort and painful backside? Check. No problem since he hadn't been on a horse in years. Sore muscles were easy to fake when you didn't have to fake them at all. Not knowing how to saddle a horse? Check. After all he'd never used a western saddle in his life, having only ridden in the much more elegant (at least to his mother) english and dressage versions.

His mother had taken her role as a New England well-to-do socialite very seriously. Even going so far as dressing her little boy up in outfits that she thought befit the role. The only trouble was that she'd come from a lowly family herself and the images she had were ones that she'd seen in movies or read in old books. She had no way to know that sailor's outfits for boys had gone out with the invention of motorized vehicles.

The lifestyle she had in mind had to include all the finer things in life and of course riding lessons for her precious boy were high on the list. Considering how much she had enjoyed seeing him in various costumes, Tony was still unsure to this day whether or not the riding lessons foisted upon him had been mostly about the outfits and not much else.

As soon as little Anthony had had enough training to go into small local competitions, Mother had gone out of her way to pick out the finest in riding habits. Hacking jackets in every color (brown, black, navy, even some plaids), the finest breeches, well made tall boots. While most children may have ridden in short ankle boots, they just wouldn't do for little Anthony DiNozzo. He even had a couple of helmets, not just the normal black, but also dark blue and brown – to match his wardrobe. To be honest, it had been downright embarrassing, even at the tender age of eight.

At one point little Tony had tried to talk his mother into letting him try polo instead. While she agreed that it was an appropriate sport for people of their status, she was still against it. Citing it as "much too dangerous for my precious boy" she had quickly stomped out that idea. Tony had been disappointed. Polo was so much more cooler (at least to his friends at school) than the more gentle dressage and showjumping, but once Mother's mind was made up, that's all there was to it.

Faking the unfamiliarity with the terrain and camping had been even easier. Taking riding lessons in covered arenas and competing in horse shows was a far cry from days and nights spent out on the range. That had been yet another reason why Tony had kept his previous experience to himself. How could he tell his boss, a man who Tony knew was the epitome of a cowboy, that he'd only ridden in proper attire under direct instruction? True he may have mastered a jump course by the age of six and a dressage test by the age of eight, but would Gibbs really find it all that impressive?

When they'd been out there before with just Gibbs, Boyd and himself, acting the newbie hadn't been hard at all. Boyd especially had bought his act - hook line and sinker. But now McGee and Ziva were along too and neither of them could ride (judging by McGee's attempt to mount from the wrong side and Ziva's innocent question about where the "button" was to stop the animal). Gibbs was going to have his hands full dealing with those two and there was every chance that Tony might have to step in and help.

Still, Tony decided to stay quiet. If the need arose, he'd help. Otherwise he'd just keep his own horse under control and slide into the background, allowing Gibbs to keep an eye out on his other two agents.

Better to play dumb for now, Tony thought, taking the horse's reins Jake offered to him when they were ready. Surreptitiously he checked the horse's gear, ensuring that all was well before sliding himself easily into the saddle.

"Alright, let's move it out people. We've got a lot of ground to cover to get to our campsite by nightfall," Gibbs called out, waving his team to follow behind.

Knowing that it would be best to keep the two actual newbies in the middle, Tony made a big show of not being able to get his horse turned straight. Letting McGee and Ziva file in behind Gibbs first, he slid his mount into the back of the group so he could keep a surreptitious eye on them. Within a few minutes Tony's only thoughts were on the horse under him, enjoying the relaxation of the gentle rocking motion of the animal's walk.

"I do no understand why this animal will not do what I ask. I keep saying to turn right but it wants to go left," Ziva's complaint made its way back to Tony's ears and he chuckled quietly, waiting to see what Gibbs would say to that.

It was McGee who spoke up first.

"Ziva, its not a car with a voice-activated system installed. You gotta use the reins."

McGee attempted to demonstrate his prowess, but only succeeded in making his own mount spin around in confusion. Before the boss could turn around to see what had gone wrong, Tony nudged his horse's nose up into McGee's horse's tail to turn the other animal straight onto the trail.

"Ziva, I thought you said that your uncle raised Arabians." Tony said, getting everyone's attention off of the maneuver he just performed. He noticed Gibbs taking a quick glance over his shoulder to check on them before turning his attention back on the trail.

"He does. I never said I rode any of them," she replied with a slight smile over her shoulder at him.

"McGee, what about you? You been on a horse before?"

"Oh sure I've been on a horse before…..uh when I was ten years old at summer camp."

At the front of the line, Gibbs rolled his eyes.

_Great, now I've got THREE greenhorns this time. _

Once they'd been on the trail for a while, Tony spoke up from the back of the line.

"Hey Boss? What are our horse's names? I feel kinda funny calling this one 'Timmy' all the time and frankly I think he's starting to resent it…..the horse I mean."

"Real funny, DiNozzo."

"Didn't ask, DiNozzo." McGee and Gibbs replied in the same breath.

"Oh….well how about we name them then? You know, just for kicks," he didn't wait for an answer, looking up at the sky and squishing up his face in concentration.

Ziva and McGee rolled their eyes, but up front Gibbs' mouth twitched with a slight smile.

"Okay I got it. Gibbs, I think your horse should be called Ahab for obvious reasons."

"And what reasons would those be, Tony?" Gibbs couldn't help to goad his agent a little bit.

Tony cleared his throat. "Uh….anyway, moving on. Probie, I think we're gonna call your horse Gandalf the Grey cuz he's grey and, well, you're a big Lord of the Rings geek."

McGee snorted. Privately he got a kick out of the name and surreptitiously reach forward to pat his horse's neck with a whispered "good boy Gandalf".

"What about mine Tony?" Ziva asked.

"Ah yes, our fair maiden must have a name for her mount that befits her personality…..so how about Bowie? As in your favorite weapon?"

Ziva laughed out loud. "I think that will work perfectly," she said, giving her own mount a pat on the neck.

"And yours, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, waiting for the inevitable tv show or movie reference that was sure to follow.

"Mine? Well my mount is gonna be called after the great John Wayne in the completely amazing and awesome film called 'She Wore A Yellow Ribbon'. Ladies…well I guess that would be 'Lady' since there's only one of you Ziva…and gentlemen, I give you……Brittles!"

Once again Ziva laughed, while McGee and Gibbs simply smiled and nodded their approval.

"I think that actually works, Tony," McGee said.

They rode on in companionable silence, each enjoying the outdoors and the brief respite to the normally hectic pace of the life of an NCIS agent. None of them knew what awaited them when they reached Dina's cabin but experience had taught them all to appreciate the quiet moments when they came, however briefly.

Taking a deep breath, Tony closed his eyes and once again let the rocking motion of the horse sooth him. He ignored the slight pain in his chest, writing it off as yet another residual symptom from the flu (aka TFTWNQ). Sure that the fresh air must be doing him some good, he even ignored slight cough that came at the tail end of his exhalation.

For the moment everything was perfect.

…and then all hell broke loose.


	6. Chapter 6

_Once again just want to say thanks for all the reviews, updates, etc! You guys rock!_

_Also, thanks to Nadine (who reviewed anonymously, otherwise I would've totally thanked ya personally) for pointing out that I misspelled "Gandalf". Oops! I have no one to blame but myself for not double-checking that. _

_On with the story…._

_--00--00--00--_

Chapter Six

_00--00--00--00--_

_Dismounting his own horse, Gibbs smiled to himself. _

_00--00--00--00--_

One minute the team was riding along, enjoying the afternoon sun and the next…..chaos.

The breeze that had started gently blowing when they'd mounted up; suddenly began gusting with a purpose. A dead branch, ripped from its place on a nearby tree where it had been stuck since the last storm, broke free and landed on the ground practically under their horse's hooves.

The resounding crack sent McGee's horse tearing off while simultaneously sending Ziva's horse into a dangerous rear. The young woman was quick witted enough to lean forward into the motion of the animal, hanging on to its neck like a leech, and saving herself a nasty fall onto the hard ground below.

With one agent on a runaway and another stuck on a rearing animal, Gibbs had to think fast. The chauvinist in him instinctively went for Ziva first, quickly reaching for her horse's reins.

"DiNozzo! Dismount and grab these reins!" Gibbs yelled as he struggled to get the other horse under control, glad that Tony's horse hadn't reacted with the other two. With DiNozzo on the ground and holding Ziva's mount, Gibbs could then chase after McGee.

Gibbs was completely unprepared for what happened next. Looking up in surprise as he heard galloping hooves passing by, he hoped that he didn't have another runaway on his hands. Instead he saw DiNozzo racing off after McGee. The other man appeared to be in complete control of his horse, leaning forward to encourage his mount to catch up to the other frightened animal.

McGee's horse had veered off to the right, avoiding a large bush that had been in its way and somehow miraculously not losing its terrified passenger in the process. Heading straight ahead Tony flew over the bush like it was barely there; not missing a stride and making nice headway into the runaway's trail.

By now Gibbs had gotten control of Ziva's horse and was forced to sit back and watch the action, unwilling to leave her alone with the skittish animal and knowing that there was nothing more he could do anyway.

"Gibbs I am fine. You should help Tony and McGee," Ziva said, concentrating hard on her horse and not yet realizing what had occurred.

Gibbs smiled proudly as he watched his senior agent catching up fast to his junior agent. "Oh I think they're fine, Ziva."

Ziva looked up just in time to see Tony ride up alongside McGee's horse, bringing his own mount so close that the two men felt their legs bump together. The younger man turned his head in surprise to find that it was Tony coming to his rescue and not his boss.

"Hang on Probie, I got ya," Tony called over the pounding hooves. McGee could only nod, holding onto the saddle horn for dear life as the horse raced under him.

Still pushing his horse to keep up with McGee's frantically galloping mount, Tony put his reins in his left hand. Reaching forward with his right, he managed to catch the flapping reins of the other horse. Silently blessing the fact that the wild ride through the brush hadn't broken them, Tony took up the slack, putting pressure on the other horse's mouth slowly. Careful not to slow them down too quickly lest the probie lose his balance, Tony carefully brought the other horse under control.

"Whoa easy......easy now.....," Tony spoke reassuringly to McGee's mount and the animal flicked its ears, listening to the soothing voice.

Tony brought them all down to a much more controllable canter, then a trot and finally to a walk. Flipping the reins of McGee's horse over its head, he led the other man in a wide circle, walking back the way they'd come.

"You okay, Tim?" Tony asked once he had enough control of both horses to concentrate on his partner, making sure the other man hadn't sustained any injuries.

"Um...yeah, I think so," McGee replied, his hands still shaking and extremely grateful to be alive. McGee had never realized just how fast a horse could run. If he'd fallen to the rocks at that pace he had no doubt that he would have been severely injured, if not killed. "Thanks, man."

"No problem, Probie."

Gibbs and Ziva trotted up to the rest of their team, the team leader still holding on to the woman's horse's reins.

"Nice riding, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, somehow relaying both a compliment and a query at the same time. Tony read it loud and clear.

"Uh….riding lessons as a kid, Boss. Never said it before because well, riding lessons aren't exactly macho, you know?" Tony said sheepishly and quickly, before the boss could ask for too many details.

"English?" Gibbs asked, having noticed the differences in the other man's riding style from the way he'd grown up in a saddle.

"Yeah," Tony said with a laugh.

"Well yeah, I could see why you might hide that fact, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a small chuckle. In his youth, he and his friends had been known to make a few jokes at the expense of the more genteel sport while gallivanting around after livestock on their farms. He knew there was probably more to Tony's story, but they had more pressing business to tend to than discussing riding styles.

Getting back on the trail, Gibbs once again took the lead while Tony took up the rear. Ziva and McGee had been given the reins back on their own mounts, but as the minutes went by it was becoming clear that things were not going smoothly.

The strong winds continued to blow, with no signs of easing up any time soon. In fact, despite the sunny and clear skies, Gibbs was starting to suspect that a storm might be on its way. The gusts were causing more and more debris to come loose from the trees and brush surrounding the trail, falling around them nearly constantly.

Ziva and McGee, both highly trained federal agents and neither being what Gibbs would referred to as necessarily the nervous type, were still (quite understandably) a little edgy after their experiences. As their horses shied and reacted to the wind and noise of falling branches, both riders tensed. The more they tensed the more their horses became fearful. It was a vicious circle without any chance of breaking. No matter how much he encouraged them to relax, Gibbs knew that it wasn't going to help.

As Ziva's horse ran up his mount's tail for the countless time, the team leader looked over his shoulder to take stock of their situation. It looked like Tony was having just as much trouble keeping McGee's horse moving in a straight line. Gibbs studied Tony for a few moments, noting the other man's lack of tension, despite his own mount bouncing around in response to the two nervous animals in the middle of the group. It bespoke of many hours in the saddle, but Gibbs once again knew that now was not the time or the place to ask about it.

Catching his boss' eyes on him, Tony spoke up. "You know that this isn't going to work Boss, right?"

Gibbs knew. How could he not? They had been out less than two hours and already nearly lost both Ziva and McGee. Two experienced riders (as he now must admit to himself that DiNozzo was no doubt experienced) could not make up for two non-experienced ones with the wind blowing the way it was and spooking the horses.

He couldn't risk their lives. There was no other choice, they were going to have to turn back and leave Ziva and McGee behind.

"DiNozzo, lead McGee's horse. I'm taking Ziva's. We're heading back at a trot!" Gibbs called out, putting his decision into action. If he kept them at a fairly brisk (but not overly exhausting) pace they could make it back to the stable in an hour. Ziva and McGee would be sore as all hell, but at least they'd be safe. Then he and DiNozzo could head out again, making better time without them.

"Got it, Boss," Tony replied, already trotting forward and grabbing McGee's reins before the other man could say a word. "Hang on Probie and try to relax your butt," he instructed with a wide grin to his partner.

"Yeah, right," McGee grumbled through gritted teeth. "That's easy for you to say, you've obviously done this before."

"As a matter of fact I have but if you think I'm not gonna be walking funny tonight, you're sorely…..forgive the pun…mistaken. Just because my mind remembers how to do this, doesn't mean my muscles do." Tony said with a laugh as Gibbs and Ziva caught up with them.

Tony led the way back and much as Gibbs predicted, they made it back to the stable in about an hour. When they arrived, Gibbs let Tony talk to Jake while he helped Ziva and McGee settle their horses back in their stalls.

"Take the back-up sat phone," Gibbs ordered as he removed McGee's saddle. "See what you can find out here in town. Talk to Dina's friends, Sherrif Boyd, anyone who can tell you who might be new in town or who's been seen around Dina recently that looks suspicious."

"Got it, Boss," McGee replied.

Gibbs finished with the horses and walked to the car with McGee, where Ziva was already tossing in their gear. As they passed by Tony, they could hear him spinning a tale to the old stable manager.

"Yeah, it's a real shame. We were only out there an hour and those two get a call from the babysitter….which I think is Ziva's aunt? Anyway, the poor woman's fallen down and sprained her ankle. Not a big deal but would you believe those two have got three kids? One set of twin girls, they showed me pictures and they look just like their mom, and a little boy who's apparently as much of a trouble maker as his dad."

Gibbs shot Tony a sideways glance, hiding a grin and catching the barest of winks from his Senior Field Agent. Tony always did love telling a good story and Gibbs was happy to let him do it at a time like this, when he needed Jake distracted.

"You two call me as soon as you get anything. DiNozzo and I should make it to Dina's place sometime mid-morning tomorrow. We're gonna ride until the sun goes down and make camp, I expect to get a sit-rep from you no later than that."

"Got it."

Gibbs slapped the roof of the car as McGee drove off, then turned and walked quickly back to the barn. He and DiNozzo had to get as many miles in before sundown as they could.

"Are they all good, Jethro?" Tony asked with a wicked grin at the rare chance to call his boss by his first name without risking a head-slap.

"Yeah, the aunt is fine. The kids are making the hospital staff crazy but they're fine too. We should get going if we want to make it to that first campsite I told you about, Tony." Gibbs replied, stepping into his role as the seasoned trail guide.

"Well, it was nice talking to you Jake," Tony said, heading over to get his horse.

"You too, Tony. See y'all when you get back." Jake gave a wave as the two men walked towards their mounts.

Gibbs and Tony mounted up, feeling the energy in their freshly rested, fed and watered horses. After a drink and a small feed, the animals had dozed happily in the shade while Gibbs got McGee and Ziva squared away. Used to many long rides, the animals were happy to get back on the trail again, evidenced by their many snorts, shaking of heads and flicking of tails.

"C'mon DiNozzo, we don't have to worry about keeping the pace slow for any newbies. Let's get some miles under our saddles."

Tony didn't need to be told twice. Flashing a big grin at his boss, he shortened his reins expertly and sent his horse into a trot, sitting easily as the animal sped up its pace.

The two men rode the rest of the afternoon, trotting and walking intermittently to keep from tiring their mounts. They made great time and only when the sun had nearly set, did Gibbs decide that it was time to call it a day.

Despite the continuous strong winds, the rest of the ride had been uneventful. Thanks to their experience dealing with nervous horses and knowing how to keep the animals calm, both men had actually enjoyed the ride immensely. Once again, both were grateful for the relatively quiet time before they would be back on the case.

Tony had even managed to ignore the aches and pains that still plagued him here and there. As he jumped off his horse, the senior field agent gave the animal a scratch on the neck.

"Thanks for a great ride, Brittles," he said.

Dismounting his own horse, Gibbs smiled to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi folks! Sorry for the longer delay on this chapter. Lots of stuff is happening in RL, though most of it is good. First off, I'm very busy with work and secondly, I'm going to be moving into a new place soon. I'm very excited but it's going to take a lot of work to fix up first and I'm going to be doing all of it myself. So in the meantime I'm moving into a temporary place for the summer, while I work on the new one, and then move again in fall. _

_Yep, I know, moving twice in four months….what am I thinking? _

_So if there's some delays in chapters here and there, I hope ya'll forgive me. I figure we're about halfway through this story right now and about done with the first part. After that, the REAL Tony whumpage begins so hang in there. ;o)_

_-Moki_

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Chapter Seven

_Hell, tonight he'd even been good enough to fool me. _

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"We're losing light, get your horse unsaddled and then start gathering wood," Gibbs ordered as he followed his own instructions, already starting with getting the gear off his mount.

"Right. Fire, sleeping outside….. kinda forgot about this part," Tony said as he tied up his horse and clumsily started undoing the various straps that kept the saddle and pack in place. He wasn't used to western gear, but the basic idea was similar. He got the hang of it fairly easily, pulling off his pack and getting ready to remove the saddle. When he was done, the sun was pretty much gone, leaving their camp in darkness.

"You want me to go out there, Boss? By myself?" Tony asked nervously, hearing rustling all around and fighting the instinct to reach for his gun. Suddenly the idea of being out on the open range wasn't nearly as much fun as it was when looking at it from the back of his horse.

"You can drop the act now, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied with a good-natured growl, dropping a few branches onto the growing pile he'd set up near a rock wall. He'd chosen the spot to protect them from the worst of the wind still blowing around them.

"Well yeah Boss, I know how to ride, sure. But it's not like we ever went out into the woods or camped or anything like that."

As he talked, Tony walked out to the edge of the camp, slowly venturing farther and farther when nothing came out of the darkness and threatened to eat him alive.

"The kind of riding I did," Tony continued as he worked. "was done in a civilized arena with people standing around holding martinis. The men came dressed in suits and the women in nice hats. This isn't exactly the same thing, Boss."

"You ever do any jumping?" Gibbs asked, giving in to the curiosity that had been tugging at him ever since he'd seen his Senior Field Agent go flying over a bush. Kneeling down, he stacked the branches into the proper shape for a good fire and pulled out the matches from his camp gear.

"Only after my mother said I was old enough," Tony replied, walking over with a large pile of wood and laying it to the side. Seeing that they seemed to have more than enough, he stayed where he was and reached for his pack. "At first all she would let me do was dressage - said it would build character, safer for a seven year old, all that."

"That's what they do in the Olympics, right? With the top hats?" Gibbs asked casually as he started getting their meal together. Canned beans over an open fire was about the best they could hope for, but Gibbs himself was starving after a long day of riding. He doubted his companion would mind the simple fare.

"Yeah," Tony replied. "Luckily only the very upper levels have to wear the monkey suits and I didn't get that far. We just wore the standard english gear. Kind of like what you see in old hunting prints, ya know?"

"Sounds uncomfortable."

Tony shrugged. "Actually you'd be surprised. The boots are awful at first but once you get used to them, they're not so bad and neither is the rest of it. Believe it or not, all of it is designed to help keep you in the saddle."

"Best way I found to do that was not falling off."

Tony started to laugh, but choked halfway through and suddenly looked frantically into the darkness. Jumping up from the seat he'd taken on the ground across from Gibbs, he reached for his Sig.

"Did you hear that?"

"Nothing to hear DiNozzo. Fire's gonna keep most living things away," Gibbs replied without moving from his spot near the fire, calmly putting another piece of wood on and watching as sparks shot up temporarily.

"Oh."

"Sit down and eat your dinner."

Gibbs handed Tony a can of beans warmed over the flames, along with a fork, and settled down to eat his own meal. Every other minute, Gibbs watched with some amusement as the younger man kept looking around into the darkness for unseen creatures, hearing sounds that weren't there. Jumping up repeatedly, Tony kept turning around to make sure that nothing had appeared out of the darkness behind him.

"DiNozzo, you do that one more time and I'm gonna hogtie you to that log over there." Gibbs said quietly after a while, taking the last bite of his dinner and putting the can down.

"Sorry Boss. Guess I'm not the camping out type after all," Tony replied with an embarrassed grin, still keeping his eyes constantly moving around him.

Not long after, McGee called Gibbs on the satellite phone to give them an update. When his boss finished the call, Tony looked at him questioningly across the fire.

"Anything?"

"Maybe. Apparently a woman was seen asking around about Dina's artwork in a local art gallery."

"Think she could be the one sending the letters?" Tony asked, thinking that their crazy fan theory might be panning out.

"We'll find out soon enough. For now we just gotta worry about getting to Dina."

They sat in mostly silence (broken only by the occasional squeak of fear from Tony) for the next couple hours before Tony spoke up, trying to hide a yawn.

"Think I'm gonna turn in, Boss."

Gibbs nodded and Tony walked over to his bedroll and climbed in. He was completely exhausted and not sure how much longer he could have kept his eyes open. He'd been hoping to stay awake as long as his boss, but decided to give up when he'd nearly fallen asleep sitting up.

Once the excitement and adrenaline of the day had worn off, Tony's body began attacking him again. The longer he sat still, the more pain made itself known. His chest ached, his head ached and after a little while he'd begun feeling nauseous. When Gibbs had handed him the can of beans, it had taken everything in him not to barf right then and there.

Tony was pretty certain that Gibbs would not have appreciated that after he'd gone to so much trouble preparing their meal. So he had swallowed hard and quietly accepted his dinner, though he just couldn't bring himself to eat it. Jumping up in pretended fear every few minutes had served him well, nicely distracting Gibbs from the fact that Tony wasn't eating anything. It had also been useful in hiding the coughs that had crept back into his throat and chest. He'd continued with his city slicker act, jumping around like a scared chicken every time there was a rustle (and a few times when there weren't), keeping the boss from hearing the coughs or seeing the uneaten meal.

By the time he crawled into his bedroll, Tony was so tired he didn't even care about how much his chest ached. It was a familiar ache, though he couldn't put his finger on why. It wasn't plague-familiar. It was different than that, yet still he knew he should recognize it. Or maybe it was just another flu thing. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort it took to think about it anymore, Tony closed his eyes and was fast asleep in minutes.

Gibbs smiled when the sound of a soft snore reached his ears only a few minutes after Tony had hit his bedroll. Getting up, he quietly picked up Tony's discarded can of beans and went to throw it into the bag where he was storing their trash. When he picked it up, he was surprised to find that it wasn't empty. In fact, when he looked inside, he saw that Tony had barely touched it at all.

Before he could ponder further, Gibbs heard Tony cough in his sleep. Not the deep frightening cough that brought up memories of blue lights, but still worrying in its own way. As he stood there, holding the empty can in his hand, he realized he'd been fooled, but good.

He supposed he shouldn't be too upset. After all, Tony was one of his team and he trained his team to be good at their jobs. That included undercover work and Tony was one of the best he'd ever seen. Not that Gibbs could take too much credit for it. Tony had come to him with the skill already honed.

Tony loved undercover, loved the chance to act like someone else for a while. Movies had been his escape as a child, a way to get away from a life that wasn't as great as it looked from the outside. Watching people pretend to be someone other than who they were in real life, it had fascinated a little boy trapped in a gilded cage.

Tony also had an almost insatiable curiosity, a trait that made him both an annoying co-worker and a good agent. He could walk into a room and spot something new immediately. Something as slight as a new iPod on someone's desk would pique his interest and once he saw it, he just had to explore it. Like a puppy, he would sniff around, learning about the item and the person behind it. Gibbs had seen how that drove the other team members crazy, but he only held Tony back when it was absolutely necessary - slapping his nose with the proverbial newspaper if he took it too far. Otherwise, Gibbs let it go, entrusting his people to learn to keep their stuff put away if they didn't want it pawed at. Tramping down on the other man's curiosity felt like telling a hunting dog not to sniff - it probably wouldn't work and if it did, the dog would be ruined as a hunter forever.

Besides, Gibbs liked that Tony's curiosity came with almost no shame. Whenever the younger man was caught with his nose where it wasn't wanted, he accepted his blows and moved on without rancor. It made him extremely valuable as an undercover agent. Where others might hem and haw with embarrassment after being caught in a position that could blow their cover, DiNozzo rolled with the punches. He wasn't the only agent who could do it but in Gibbs' experience, he was one of the fastest at it.

Gibbs supposed that the curiosity came from Tony's childhood. A small boy left to his own devices in a large mansion was bound to get himself into trouble a lot. With a father who barely gave him the time of day, little Tony found out about things any way he could. It wouldn't have surprised Gibbs in the least to find out that Tony had gone through his father's mail, sneaked into his closet and listened in on his conversations. All just so he could find out any tidbits about things in his own home.

It was one of the reasons why Gibbs never admonished Tony for apologizing. The younger man was constantly pushing the limits of everything and when he stepped over the line, it was Gibbs' job to put him back in his place. A stare, a gruff word, a smack to the back of the head, sometimes these were the only ways he could get the message across. Some days it felt like Gibbs heard "sorry Boss" about a thousand times from Tony. But only rarely (if ever) did he remind DiNozzo of the rule about apologies. A "sorry Boss" from Tony wasn't like a standard apology coming from someone else. It was just his way of acknowledging that he'd screwed up, and Gibbs accepted it as such.

Gibbs would usually still find his senior agent continuing whatever behavior got him in trouble, even after a reprimand and yet another "sorry Boss". Maybe it would be a few days or weeks or (on the more annoying days) only a few hours, but Tony would invariably do it again. Once again, it reminded Gibbs of an old hound dog. You could take them off the scent, but one way or another they'd find a way to get back on it again.

Gibbs knew that he needed that from Tony. The younger man had never really been afraid of him and he appreciated that. Sure Tony talked a big talk, pretending that he was shaking in his boots when his boss walked up silently behind him during an asinine trick or while relentlessly teasing a probie. But Gibbs knew better. Tony wasn't really scared of him. Sometimes Tony was the only one who pushed Gibbs; pushed him, challenged him, made him re-think what he was doing.

He also pushed the boundaries of humor, but Gibbs needed that too. Lord knew that Gibbs wasn't much good at lightening a mood, so he let Tony do it for him…..and take the blows that came with it when he went too far. When that happened, Gibbs was always pleased to see the way the younger man simply bounced right back.

Yep, Tony had become quite the undercover agent under Gibbs' tutelage.

_Hell, tonight he'd even been good enough to fool me. _


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for all the reviews on that last chapter. I was so happy to see that most everyone enjoyed my little foray into Gibbs' thoughts about Tony. I wondered if I went on too long and thought about cutting most of it out but then I realized I liked it (because those are all things I think about Tony, I just gave them to Gibbs, LOL) so I kept it. Now I'm glad I did. You guys are great!_

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Chapter Eight

_It was just the moment Gibbs had been waiting for…._

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"DiNozzo, time to get up."

Tony blinked blearily, stretching and looking around with a yawn as he tried to remember where he was. Spotting his horse dozing nearby, it all came back - the adventures of riding with the team, saving McGee's life and finally camping out with Gibbs. He also noted that it wasn't light yet.

"Boss? I thought cowboys got up WITH the sun, not before it."

Gibbs turned back to the fire, pouring a cup of coffee into a tin mug and handing it over as Tony kicked off his sleeping bag. He'd kept half an ear on the younger man throughout the night and after the initial coughs he'd heard right after Tony had gone to sleep, had been relieved to note that all had been pretty much quiet after that. It must have been the dry air, but he was still keeping an extra eye (and ear) on his agent.

"Cowboys get up when there's work to be done and we've got work to do, DiNozzo."

"Right, crazy person after Dina. On it, Boss," Tony said, taking a sip of the liquid in the cup and grimacing. "You bring your own brew from home? This stuff tastes like tar….no scratch that, it tastes like really strong tar."

Gibbs didn't reply, but he smiled to himself as he continued packing up their gear. He'd already been up for a while, letting Tony sleep a little longer as he started the coffee and rolled up his own sleeping bag.

By the time the sun was up, both men had their horses saddled and were riding towards Dina's cabin. Taking a quick look at the map before they mounted up, Gibbs had confirmed where to catch the final trail to her place and estimated it would take them another few hours at a quick but not overly exhausting pace for the horses.

"You ready for another long ride?" Gibbs asked with a grin, turning his horse and heading out onto the trail.

With his boss' back to him, Tony flinched as he settled into the saddle. "How are you not sore, Boss? I don't know about you, but my backside is gonna be pissed at me for the next week. Do you go out riding every weekend and not tell us?"

Gibbs' only response was to make his horse go faster and Tony laughed as he followed suit. Now that he was up again, he felt much better. Sure his muscles were still sore, but considering how long it had been since he'd been on a horse, that was no surprise. Sure he'd spent most of the night shivering instead of sleeping (though he'd been careful to not toss and turn, knowing that Gibbs' ears were about ten times better than his eyes), but they were in a desert and deserts were cold at night, right? And sure, his chest still hurt but that had to be due to the dry air and getting over TFTWNQ. All of it was completely and totally normal.

As they rode off, Tony had done a pretty good job of convincing himself that he was just fine.

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"McGee, I cannot see," Ziva nudged her partner slightly, trying to get a view at the small screen flickering with grainy black and white images.

"Oh, sorry Ziva," McGee obediently moved over to let the Mossad agent get a better look. Flashing their badges, they had talked the manager of the art gallery into letting them see his security footage from two days before. A woman had come in asking about Dina's work and though it might be nothing, they were following orders and looking into every lead, no matter how small.

"What time did the manager say she came in again?" McGee asked, looking at the counter at the bottom of the screen.

"Oh-nine-thirty, I believe."

McGee pressed the fast forward button on the machine, the thing so old that it didn't even have a remote. When he saw the time stamp get close to 9:30am he stopped and hit play again. Soon a tall brunette was seen entering the gallery. Rather than taking the time to look at any of the paintings, she immediately sought out the manager.

"Well, that is a bit odd," Ziva noted.

"What?"

"The manager said this woman asked about Dina's work but did not look at it when she came in to the gallery. Three of Dina's paintings are hanging right by the entrance. A woman interested enough in the artist to ask about her would at least stop and admire the work, would she not?"

"Good point."

As the woman and the manager spoke, she turned closer to the camera and gave both agents a clear view of her features. Furrowing his forehead, McGee leaned forward.

"What is it?" Ziva asked as she noted her partner's attentiveness.

"Does she look familiar to you, Ziva?"

"No, I do not believe so. Why? Do you know her, McGee?"

"I'm not sure….," McGee reached forward to pause the machine, then rewound it to the spot with the better view of the woman's face. He paused it there and studied the image. Beside him, Ziva stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought if he was on to something.

"I think I know her Ziva, I just can't think from where."

"A former girlfriend perhaps? I thought only Tony was the type to not remember a lover," Ziva said with a one-sided smile.

"No, not that….and I don't think we've ever arrested her either, but I do think she was from a case. It's like I know her face from…" McGee stopped as he sat up straight, pulling out the satellite phone and dialing frantically.

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"Whoa." Gibbs called out, holding up a closed fist to signal the man behind him to stop his horse as well.

"Boss?" Tony queried.

"Tracks, fresh ones."

"Wouldn't those be Dina's?"

"No, we've been following Dina's. She rode the same route we did. These are a different horse, fresher tracks, coming from that direction." Gibbs pointed off to his right.

"Someone else out for a ride?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Doubt it. From this point the trail gets more treacherous and the only thing at the end of it is Dina's cabin."

Before Gibbs could say anything else, the sat phone in his pocket began ringing insistently.

"Yeah, Gibbs," he answered.

On the other end, McGee took a breath before launching into what he'd just found out.

"Boss, we found the tape and I think I know who's after Dina. It's Elizabeth Sax, also known as Mrs. Jerome Sax."

"Who?"

"The wife of the assassin you killed up there a couple weeks ago."

"His wife? Thought she was some housewife going to soccer games and PTA meetings," Gibbs growled into the phone.

"Yeah well, it looks like that may have been her cover too. There's no doubt about it, Boss, it's her. I had Ziva call Abby and email a picture to us."

"Got it, see what else you can find out." Gibbs snapped the phone shut, his gut practically screaming at him about the rider on the trail to Dina's.

"Tony, we gotta go, now!" With that, he took off at the fastest pace the rocky terrain and steepening trail would allow.

Tony didn't hesitate; he didn't even bother to ask what was happening. Between Gibbs spotting the tracks and getting a call from McGee (who else could it have been?), he knew that something was up.

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs held up his fist again as they got closer to Dina's cabin. Not wanting their quarry to hear their arrival, he signaled for them to dismount and tie up the horses so they could continue on foot.

Walking up silently to his boss, Tony looked around cautiously, still waiting patiently to be told what was happening.

"McGee and Ziva made a positive ID off of the security footage at the art gallery," Gibbs said quietly as Tony approached.

"Who?"

"Elizabeth Sax."

Tony did a double take. "Sax? As in Jerome Sax? As in the guy who we just came up here and stopped from killing Dina in the first place? I thought she claimed that she didn't know her husband was an assassin?

"Maybe she didn't, maybe she did. Right now all I know is that she's headed for Dina's. You head in from the west, I'll take the east."

Gibbs and Tony split off, each going in their assigned directions and keeping their heads down. As Gibbs got closer, he started crawling on the ground, inching his way up the last ridge near the cabin. As he approached he could see smoke from the fireplace, confirming that someone was home.

On the far side of the small clearing, Tony poked his head out from some bushes and spotted Gibbs. Getting the signal to stay where he was, he turned his attention back to the cabin. Only one horse stood in the corral and he recognized it as Dina's. Everything was quiet but that didn't necessarily mean that Dina was fine.

Seeing the same thing that Tony had, Gibbs decided to make his move. Keeping his weapon drawn, he began making his way towards the cabin, ducking behind every bush and rock he could, knowing full well that Tony had his six.

Reaching the porch, Gibbs sidled his way to the window and peeked inside, he was about to open the door cautiously when he felt a rifle barrel being pressed into his back.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I presume?"

Fighting the instinct to spin around and take the rifle away, Gibbs slowly turned. Without knowing where Dina or Tony were, he couldn't take the chance that she wasn't alone.

"Very good, Agent Gibbs. I see you know how to follow orders well." Elizabeth Sax took a step back, keeping the gun trained on her target as she did so. She was dressed for an extended stay in the desert, a hat low on her forehead and her long dark hair up in a ponytail. From the way she held herself, not to mention the gun, she knew exactly what she was doing. The innocent wife was in fact an assassin herself.

Opening the door to the cabin, Elizabeth reached inside. Bound and gagged, Dina Rissi came stumbling out, looking at Gibbs with eyes that both begged for help and forgiveness for dragging him into this mess.

"Now I know you're not alone, you wanna go ahead and tell your man to show his face or shall I put a bullet through her head?" Elizabeth forced Dina to her knees and leveled the gun to the back of her skull.

"So the wife was just playing innocent and they were a couple of married assassins. Funny, that sorta sounds familiar, doesn't it Boss?" Tony's voice came out of the bushes suddenly as he sauntered forward. Keeping his hands up, he smiled at Elizabeth sweetly.

Tony had been too far away to prevent Elizabeth from getting her gun on Gibbs. As he'd stood by, working on what to do next, he'd watched as Dina had been forced to the ground. A pissed off assassin wasn't one to mess with and Tony was sure that if he hadn't showed himself, she would have dropped Dina just as sure as looked at her. He hated giving up the advantage but with him and the boss together, he was sure they'd get Dina out alive.

"Both of you, drop your guns," she indicated with the shotgun and both Tony and Gibbs dropped their guns to the ground slowly. Elizabeth quickly picked them up and put them into her pockets.

"Aw, ain't this sweet. Now I've got the bitch and the two Feds, all I need now is the idiot Sheriff and I'll have everyone who took my husband away from me."

"Oh yeah, real stand-up guy he was. So sorry we killed your murdering husband. Tell me sweetheart, how many people have you two killed over the course over your careers?"

Elizabeth immediately swung her shotgun and leveled it at Tony, her barely contained rage apparent as her finger positively itched on the trigger.

"Do you want me to shoot you now, Fed?"

"Don't see why not. I mean that's what you're gonna do anyway. right? And I say, why bother waiting?" Tony said with a shrug, figuring out the best way to place himself between Dina and the crazy woman with the gun. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gibbs sizing up the situation and he waited for any signal from his boss.

Gibbs kept his hands up, completely unmoving except for his eyes, which swept back and forth between his senior field agent, the bound and gagged woman on the ground and the woman holding the gun. Confident that Tony would keep the woman occupied, Gibbs worked on a plan and waited for an opportunity, any opportunity, to get the upper hand.

Straight out attacking was out of the question, at least for the moment. Even if he could get the drop on her, Gibbs wasn't sure that she wouldn't get a shot off first. Right now that gun was pointing square at Tony and he wasn't going to take that chance.

"Hey Gibbs? Didn't you say that guy, what was his name….uh, Sucks? Didn't you say he was such a bad shot that he couldn't hit the side of a barn? Yeah that was it. Honey, you're husband probably should have gotten another career years ago. He got shot down…._from a helicopter_…I mean how the heck does that happen? Did he fail sniping 101 or something?" Tony kept moving as he was talking, gesturing with his hands and strolling around like he was having a chat with an old friend. Within a few steps he was casually standing in front of Dina, but Elizabeth hadn't noticed.

Well trained or not, the assassin wasn't taking Tony's insults too easily. Her hands began to shake as she struggled to stay in control. Breathing heavily and clamping her jaw, she took a couple steps towards the man who had the nerve to disrespect her dead husband.

It was just the moment Gibbs had been waiting for….


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey folks! _

_Okay so I know that some of you aren't going to like the way I ended this chapter but here's the deal – I'm moving this weekend and I'm afraid that in the craziness, it might be a while before I can update again. So I figured it was better to post this chapter now (even if it is another one of my famous evil cliffies, lol), rather than have y'all wait even longer for another update. _

_So here ya go, enjoy!_

_Oh and bonus points to anyone who can guess what song Tony is singing in the end. ;o)_

_-Moki_

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Chapter Nine

_Unfortunately, he never got out the next note._

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"C'mon Major, you can't be serious! What exactly am I supposed to do with _that_ bit of information, huh? HUH?"

"Problems?"

Abby spun around to face the visitor who'd just entered her lab, hands on her hips and her lips turned down into one very serious pout.

"Oh hi Ducky. No, not really. Major Mass Spec has just given me the most ridiculous composition of a sample that Agent Roberts brought back from his crime scene. Now I can't make heads or tails of it."

Abby turned back to the recalcitrant machine, wagging her finger at it. "You and I are going to discuss this later, Mister."

Turning back to the ME, Abby was once again her cheerful and smiling self. "What can I do for ya, Ducky?"

"Ah, just a bit of tissue for a DNA match on an old case, nothing that needs a rush my dear."

The forensic scientist took the tiny sample jar and put it down on her table, quickly pulling out a pen from her lab coat and signing the plastic bag to show the proper chain of evidence.

"Why didn't you send Palmer down, Ducky?" Abby asked, eager for a little conversation. With Team Gibbs away on their so-called 'vacation' (which Abby happened to know wasn't a vacation at all), she didn't have too many people to talk to all day.

"Oh, he's busy studying for another exam and since we finally got a slight lull in cases, I thought I'd stretch my legs a bit and come for a visit."

"I'm so glad you did, I was getting so lonely I was thinking of breaking out my cardboard Tony and Ziva again."

"But not a cardboard Gibbs and McGee?" Ducky asked with jaunty wink.

"Well yeah them too, but it's just that I already have the cardboard Tony and Ziva so I thought I'd start with them. Then make cardboard Gibbs and McGee if those two didn't keep me company enough."

Ducky chuckled, then quickly reached for a handkerchief as he felt a sneeze coming on. "My apologies, we had a case recently where a body was found in a field of wildflowers and my poor sinuses haven't forgiven me since."

"No problem Ducky, I was just worried for a second there that you had caught what Tony had."

"Anthony has been ill?"

"Oh yeah, I mean he tried to hide it but I saw and I'm sure the boss-man saw it too. I think it was just a cold, but you know Tony, hiding the serious stuff one second and then complaining about the littlest thing the next. He's been sick for weeks but never says a word, then McGee tells me that when they got on the plane all Tony did was complain about how much his legs hurt….on a three hour flight! He's too funny."

As Abby spoke, Ducky's brow furrowed slightly. "When did you say Tony got sick?"

"Oh maybe about two weeks ago, I guess? Right about the time that he and Gibbs got back from Arizona the first time."

"And what did Timothy say about the flight? Was Tony complaining about his legs hurting? Perhaps all of his muscles?"

Ducky may not have been known for his gut like Gibbs was, but the truth was that he still had very good instincts when it came to putting together clues from what bodies told him. Even live bodies told him their stories and he was starting to get a very bad feeling about the message from Tony's body.

Abby looked at Ducky suspiciously. "Actually that's exactly what McGee said, why?"

"Oh dear, I'm afraid we might have a problem."

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Spotting the opening he needed, Gibbs launched forward and shoved Elizabeth, causing the woman to temporarily lose her balance and take a couple stumbling steps. For a few precious seconds the rifle wasn't pointed at any of them and Gibbs gave Tony a quick command.

"Get her out of here!"

Tony had already started moving the moment he'd seen his boss' muscles tense. Before Gibbs got to Elizabeth, Tony had grabbed Dina and dragged her to her feet. Still tied and gagged, she leaned on him heavily as he helped her to run.

Getting the woman behind the biggest and closest boulder he could find, Tony lowered her to the ground and took off the gag, then untied her bindings.

"Agent DiNozzo, I am so sorry…" she began.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Dina. This is what we do. We're the heroes and right now….well I guess right now you're kinda the damsel in distress. Nice job on going so far as to get yourself tied up, by the way. Not everyone is willing to get that much into a role, but you did and I admire that kind of tenacity."

Dina couldn't help but smile as Tony finished untying her hands. When he was done, gave her shoulders a quick squeeze before flashing her with his most reassuring grin. "Now you just stay here, got it?"

Dina nodded and Tony quickly took a look around. He sighed as he saw his boss standing with hands raised, the shotgun pointed squarely at his chest. Only able to get Elizabeth slightly off balance, Gibbs had gained just enough time for Tony and Dina to get away before she'd caught herself and turned the weapon back on him again.

Elizabeth looked around in the general direction where Tony and Dina had gone, raising her voice as she called out to the missing agent.

"Come on out, Agent DiNozzo, or are you ready to watch Agent Gibbs die?" She emphasized her point by raising the weapon and walking a step closer to her target.

From his vantage point, Tony knew she wasn't kidding around. Now that Dina was safe, he did the only thing he could.

"We really need to stop meeting like this, Boss," Tony said, coming out from behind the rock with his hands held up again. Turning to his boss, he raised his eyebrows and cocked his head inquiringly. "Are you getting old, Gibbs? 'Cause I thought you had her."

"Must be the bum knee."

Tony had managed to place himself squarely behind Elizabeth, forcing the assassin to pivot the gun quickly back and forth between the two of them to keep both covered.

"Get over next to your boss, Agent DiNozzo. Now!"

"Nah, I don't think so. You see, he likes to slap me on the back of the head when I make smartass comments and, well, calling him old probably wasn't the best idea. Nope, I think I'm gonna stay right where I am. Right now I'd rather be facing your shotgun than him."

"You think I can't headslap you from here, DiNozzo? Just keep up with the 'old' talk and you'll see how far I can do it." Gibbs growled.

Tony's eyes widened for half a millisecond at his boss' words. Normally distracting someone was his job, but Tony was sure that his boss must have a plan. The two shared a quick glance and Tony went right on with barely a pause, turning up the anger a notch.

"You know what? I'd like to see you try it…._old man_. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here right now. You were supposed to take her down. What the hell happened?"

"Well if I had better back-up with me, maybe we wouldn't be here at all. Did you ever think of that, DiNozzo?"

Elizabeth looked frantically back and forth between the two men, momentarily shaken by the unforeseen turn of events. That the two agents would turn on each other and basically ignore her was completely unexpected.

"Hey! Both of you shut up…and you…," she pointed the shotgun at Tony. "Get over here right now or I swear that I will blow his head off."

"You think I care lady?" Tony asked snidely. "Go ahead and do it. Hell, you'll be doing me a favor. Seven years I've been working for this bastard and all he ever does is yell at me and wallop me upside the head."

Gibbs eyes glinted and his mouth twitched in an almost smile. He nearly broke, but kept it together as he continued the charade, leveling an angry gaze at the younger man. "I got a better idea Sax, why don't you go ahead and shoot _him_. That'll save me the trouble of having to request another Senior Field Agent."

Back behind her rock, Dina couldn't believe her ears. The last time she'd been with the agents, she'd never have guessed that their relationship was this bad. In fact she could've sworn she saw real (if cleverly hidden) affection between the two.

Afraid that the two of them were going to get themselves killed on her behalf and unable to take it any longer, Dina did a very dumb thing.

She jumped out from behind the rock with her hands up.

"Stop! Please, don't shoot them!"

Tony and Gibbs turned in unison.

"NO!"

It was too late. Elizabeth spun around at the new threat and instinctively fired her weapon. Dina went down as Tony ran for her and Gibbs ran towards Elizabeth. When Tony reached the fallen woman he was relieved to see that the assassin had indeed been thrown off by their tirade, firing without thinking and missing a kill shot. The bullet had gone straight through Dina's thigh – a painful but thankfully not life threatening wound.

Taking full advantage of the woman's complete confusion, Gibbs was able to slap the shotgun out of Elizabeth's hands. Before the woman could reach for the agents' Sigs in her pockets, he grabbed one of her arms, twisting it painfully behind her back as he reached for his cuffs.

"DiNozzo?"

"Through and through boss, I think she's gonna be…." Tony paused as a strange sound could be heard echoing around the mountain. He opened his mouth to ask what it was when the source suddenly made itself visible. A helicopter crested the nearest ridge and came straight for them.

Pulling the now handcuffed assassin behind him, Gibbs approached Dina and checked her injury over Tony's shoulder.

"This wasn't part of the plan," he told the wounded woman, with a gentle grin.

"Plan?" Dina asked painfully, gritting her teeth as Tony took off his belt and made a tourniquet above the wound on her leg. "You two had a plan?"

"Of course, all good agents have a plan," Tony said, as if it should have been extremely obvious. "Not just a Plan A, but also a Plan B and sometimes even a Plan C. You see, getting you out of the way was Plan A, setting up a fight to confuse our would-be assassin so we could disarm her was Plan B." Tony said cheerfully as he finished off his ministrations.

"What about the part about me getting shot?"

"Like I said, not part of the plan," Gibbs said, shooting a quick smile at Tony before giving a quick 'all clear' wave to the incoming chopper. Tony stood up behind him, shielding his eyes as the vehicle made preparations to land on a flat piece of land not too far away.

"McGee?" Tony asked.

"McGee." Gibbs confirmed, knowing that his third in charge must be behind the rescue. Though how he arranged for a chopper when they weren't even 'officially' there was beyond him.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

A while later, Dina was safely loaded on to the chopper as Gibbs and Tony escorted the prisoner, handing her over to Ziva and McGee.

"Okay McGee, I gotta ask….how the hell did you get a chopper out here on such short notice?" Tony asked after Ziva took Elizabeth inside the aircraft's cabin.

"Well Tony, as much as I'd like to take full credit, I have to say that this was a team effort. Ziva came up with the idea and then I thought of asking Sheriff Boyd. He was the one who called in a favor from the local fire rescue."

Gibbs marched up, "McGee, you and Ziva turn Sax over to the local LEO's and then I want a report on Dina's condition. DiNozzo and I will ride back and take her horse with us. Pick us up at the stable tomorrow afternoon."

McGee nodded. "You got it, Boss."

Once the chopper flew off, Tony turned to Gibbs. "I guess this means we're turning around and heading right back, huh?"

"Yep."

"Damn, and I was just telling my ass that it was gonna get a much needed break."

"DiNozzo how many times do I have to tell you not to involve me with what you tell your ass?."

"Sorry, Boss. Won't happen again."

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Two hours later and Gibbs was feeling something he didn't feel very often – he was happy. Not only that, but he was actually happy enough to admit that he was happy, and that was rare indeed.

Despite the less than perfect weather conditions (the wind kicking up again, this time much colder than before), he was enjoying the ride and from what he could tell, Tony was apparently enjoying it too.

The younger man had been singing every corny song in the book since they'd mounted up and so far, Gibbs hadn't the heart to order him to stop. Currently Tony was singing some jazzy little tune about being "bitter and blue". Gibbs had never heard the song before, but it sounded pretty good. He had to admit that Tony had a great voice and listening to him sing wasn't the worse way to spend an afternoon.

They had caught the bad guy (well "bad girl", might be more fitting), McGee had reported that Dina was going to be fine, Tony seemed to be feeling okay and the two of them had the next day and a half to enjoy being out alone with nothing but the open sky above them and a couple of good horses underneath them.

In fact, so engrossed was Gibbs in his happiness, he failed to notice the silence behind him until it was too late.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Feeling much like his boss, Tony had started out the ride in a great mood. After making sure Dina was okay and putting away another killer, he felt like celebrating. The singing had just popped out of him and once he saw that Gibbs wasn't going to ride back and toss him off his horse to shut him up, he kept right on going.

In fact, he was so engrossed in his songs that he didn't even notice when his symptoms started getting worse – yet another of the many factors that led to Tony not realizing how sick he really was.

The dry, warm air at first had been such a nice change. It made his body feel deliciously warm for the first time in who knew how long, plus it cleared up his sinuses. Tony had no way of knowing that the air was carrying deadly spores into his damaged lungs, no way to know that the coughs he'd been fighting back, the tightness in his chest – all of it was leading somewhere very bad.

Tony truly hadn't meant to deceive Gibbs about how bad he'd been feeling, not this far anyway. He'd wanted some quiet relaxation with just the two of them before they had to get back to the craziness in DC. Two days on horseback had sounded so nice, he hadn't cared that he wasn't feeling 100%.

As Tony finished with his latest song, he took a deep breath to start on another one…

Unfortunately, he never got out the next note.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi folks!_

_Well the last week has been pretty crazy. Believe it or not, I actually finished most of this chapter before my move on Sunday but couldn't get a chance to look at it again until today. Once the move was over I had issues with my internet, my cable and even my air conditioning (just my luck that we get our first real heat wave the day after I move into my new place – oh hello 104 degree temps, thanks for the lovely welcome). So yeah, it's been interesting. *insert eyeroll here*_

_Oh! I nearly forgot but I just wanted to let y'all know that I recently got hired by a site called Daemon's TV to write tv reviews for them. I am mentioning this because there is NO WAY that I would have been able to get this job if not for all the confidence that I've gained by writing fanfic and hearing from all you great people. So seriously, big thanks and hugs to everyone for all the support. If you want to check out my work up there, I put a link in my profile page. _

_Also wanted give a heads-up that there might be another slightly longer delay before the next chapter. I'm going to Comic Con next week and the most exciting part is that I will actually be covering some of the panels for Daemon's TV. So when I get back, be sure to check out the site and read my articles and see what exclusive bits of info I find out at the con. _

_Okay, sorry for the super long A/N, now back to the story…._

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Chapter Ten

"_Time for Plan B."_

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

There was certain sound that all horsemen and women knew. Somewhere between a crunch, a pop and a thump - there was never any mistaking the audible noise that came from a person falling off a horse.

Sometimes the sound was followed by cursing as the faller scrambled back to their feet with a look of embarrassment. Sometimes it was followed by galloping hoofbeats as the horse took off, spooked by an often unknown terror. On those occasions, more often than not, the fall was also preceded by galloping hoofbeats as well.

Gibbs had heard the sound more times than he could count. Raised on a small farm that raised mostly sheep, he'd been on a horse from the time he could crawl. Falling off was part of the learning process, at least in his father's way of teaching. Scrambling back up after losing his balance off of the patient Apaloosa mare his father had put him on, little Leroy had usually been more embarrassed than hurt.

Eventually he had gotten hurt, but still, he'd never experienced anything that had kept him off the back of a horse. When his daughter had come along, teaching her to ride had been second nature. It was only then that he'd experienced fear about horses for the first time. Watching your little girl go galloping off on a creature that outweighed her about ten times could do that to a man.

He'd once heard the unmistakable sound of a fall when Kelly had been riding. He'd thought for sure his heart had stopped for the full half a second it had taken him to turn around. He and Shannon had dismounted near their favorite camping spot, discussing where to put the bonfire. Kelly, not nearly ready to stop riding yet, had been circling them happily. Gibbs had started her on a little pony gelding, but that year she'd graduated to a medium sized Arab mare and couldn't have been happier.

By the time Gibbs and Shannon had turned around, Kelly was already up and brushing the beach sand from her jeans.

"Daddy, can you help me back up?"

He and his wife had shared a look, but after a few seconds they silently agreed that it was fine. Since the child was obviously unhurt, it seemed a shame to scare her for no reason. So Gibbs had popped her back aboard her mount to go trotting around happily once again. No doubt the soft sand of the beach had saved her from any serious injury.

This time there was no soft sand and when Gibbs heard the noise - the noise that all horsemen knew - he couldn't help the leap that his heart made. It wasn't his daughter riding behind him this time, but he still cared quite a bit about the person in that other saddle.

Half expecting to hear pounding hooves and wondering if he would have to go chasing after another runaway, Gibbs was surprised at the sight he found behind him. Tony was lying motionless on the ground and standing above him, his horse looked about as confused as Gibbs felt. If not for the seriousness of the situation (for Tony still hadn't moved, even as Gibbs rode closer), it would've been almost comical. Tony's mount clearly had no idea why his master was suddenly no longer sitting on his back. If the creature could have spoken, he was sure the animal would have said just four words.

"_I didn't do it"._

Gibbs leapt out of his saddle as quickly as his protesting knee let him and was soon at Tony's side. Still completely in the dark as to why the man was out cold, he methodically started checking for injuries. First things first, he checked the unconscious man carefully for any broken bones. Feeling none immediately apparent in any extremity, he gingerly reached underneath his body and felt Tony's backbone. Not exactly sure what he was looking for and yet feeling the need to do it anyway, he palpated lightly just to reassure himself that there wasn't anything grossly out of whack.

Sighing in relief, Gibbs realized that Tony had apparently been unconscious before he fell. Without any tension, he'd hit the ground like a rag doll, causing a few scrapes but not any broken bones.

Then Gibbs realized the implications of that. The relief of Tony not breaking any bones was pushed aside as he wondered what could have cause the man to lose consciousness in the first place.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

"Ducky? Ducky!" Abby stomped behind the ME, surprised that a man so much shorter than her could walk so much faster.

As the two of them headed into autopsy, Palmer looked up from the desk in the corner. Spotting the way his boss was moving and Abby's obvious distress, he stood up quickly.

"Doctor? Abby? Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know Palmer, he won't tell me." Abby announced, waving her arms animatedly. "We were talking about Tony and suddenly he just ran off down here."

Ducky ignored Abby, too intent on his mission to take a second to fill her in on his suspicions. "Mister Palmer, please get me Agent DiNozzo's medical file, STAT."

When Tony's car had blown up a couple years ago, Ducky and Palmer had been forced to examine the remains while unsure whether they belonged to their friend or not. After that awful day, Ducky now had full and complete copies of each of the team's medical records on hand. Waiting precious minutes to hear back from the main NCIS system on Tony's blood type had been agonizing and the ME was determined to never go through something like that again.

Palmer quickly pulled out a file from the desk drawer and handed it to the doctor. Ducky opened it and began flipping through to the back, where the oldest notations were located. "Yes, here it is. I really should have looked into this sooner, but I had no idea he wasn't feeling well."

"Don't blame yourself, Ducky. He's been hiding it from everyone, even Gibbs." Abby said consolingly.

"Yes, but if we all hadn't been so busy, Tony wouldn't have gotten away with it, would he?" Ducky said sadly, shaking his head.

"What did you find?" Palmer asked, much more interested in getting to the point than placing blame on anyone. When Gibbs had taken off to Mexico, the ME's assistant and the then newly appointed team leader had become buddies. Now Palmer considered the feisty Italian one of his closest friends and he was bothered by Ducky's obvious worry about him.

"Anthony had valley fever many years ago. It looks like it happened on while he was on vacation at some point, but it's still in his medical records from his time on the Peoria PD. He was ill enough to be off duty for some weeks and they took note of it."

"But that was years ago, Ducky. Why would that matter now?" Abby asked, happy that she was finally getting some answers, but not all happy where they were leading.

"Because my dear, valley fever is well known for relapsing, even years after the initial bout. This could have happened any time but I think he may have been exposed again while he was on assignment with Gibbs. We must get a hold of Jethro. He has no idea what he is dealing with and if Anthony was feeling as poorly as you say, he hasn't got much time before it gets dangerously worse."

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

"Tony, wake up."

Tony groaned as his boss' voice brought him back to consciousness. Was it morning again already? When did they make another camp? Why couldn't he remember anything except riding along behind his boss and singing all those songs that had popped into his head for some bizarre reason? Why did his whole body hurt?

Tony opened his eyes to find Gibbs leaning over him, staring at him intently. He could see both of their horses standing nearby. Both were still saddled and the angle of the sun showed that it was late afternoon, not morning. He also wasn't in his sleeping bag. None of it made a lick of sense and Tony stared back at Gibbs in confusion.

"Boss? What happened?"

"Kinda hoping you were gonna be the one to tell me, DiNozzo."

"Did I…..did I fall?" Tony looked around again, trying to get his brain to catch up on current events.

"Oh yeah, you fell alright. Trouble is, the horse didn't do anything to cause it."

Just then the satellite phone started ringing in Gibbs' pocket. Fishing it out, he kept one eye on the man still lying on the ground at his feet.

"McGee?"

"No Jethro, it's Ducky."

People marveled at the timing that Gibbs had - the way that he could pop into a room and join in on a conversation as if he'd always been there. But as Gibbs stood there with the phone in his hand and Tony lying below him, he couldn't help but to spare a moment to marvel at Ducky's timing this time.

"Duck? There's something wrong with Tony."

Gibbs ignored Tony's feeble protest ("Nah, I'm good Boss, just help me up.") reaching forward and putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. He wanted keep the agent down until he knew what they were dealing with.

"Oh dear, that's what I was afraid of. What's happened?"

In autopsy, thousands of miles away, Abby's chin immediately went down in a frown. That didn't sound good to her, not at all. Next to her, Palmer frowned as well.

"I'm not sure, one second we were riding and he was singing the most ridiculous…"

"Singing?"

"Yes singing. Next thing I know he's on the ground and has no idea how he got there. I think he passed out, Duck."

Once again Gibbs ignored Tony's protest ("DiNozzo's do not pass out, Boss.") and stilled the younger man's second attempt to get up with a glare.

"What are his symptoms, Jethro?"

"I don't know, he hasn't given me a straight answer since we got here."

"Put him on the phone."

Gibbs finally let Tony sit up and put a steadying grip on his arm when the younger man seemed to get dizzy from the motion. Once he was settled, Gibbs handed him the phone.

"Duck. Talk."

Those were two words that usually didn't go together, but Tony nevertheless got the message loud and clear.

"Ducky?"

"Anthony? How are you feeling?"

"Fine Ducky, how about you? How is everything back in DC?"

Gibbs had to fight really, really hard not to headslap DiNozzo into next week. As it was, Ducky accomplished the same result without getting within a hundred miles of him.

"ANTHONY DAVID DINOZZO! You will NOT try and blow me off like that. I am fully aware of your penchant for telling everyone that you are 'fine' even when you anything but. However I am your doctor and you WILL answer my question or so help me, I will make sure that you spend the next six months on desk duty…..and if you think I won't, I invite you to just try me, young man."

Tony's eyes flew open and Gibbs had to hold back a grin. Ducky's voice had come through the phone as clearly as if he'd been standing out there in the desert with them and Gibbs was glad that the old ME wasn't taking any of Tony's hogwash.

"Now, I will ask you again. How are you feeling?" Ducky's query was kind, but still left no doubt that he expected to be answered.

Tony's shoulders drooped and he knew that he had been defeated. Realizing that it might actually be good to tell someone, anyone, how badly he was feeling, he resigned himself to his fate and answered honestly.

"Like crap."

Ducky chuckled. "Alright, that's better. Now can you be a bit more specific?"

Tony looked up at Gibbs staring down at him and cleared his throat nervously. He wasn't really happy to be admitting all of this sitting in front of his boss, but at this point he really had no choice in the matter.

"Um…chest hurts a little when I cough."

"Any other pain?"

Again Tony looked nervously up at Gibbs.

"Yeah….kinda all over Duck."

"Headache?"

"Yeah."

"Have you coughed up any blood?"

Tony purposely kept his eyes firmly planted on the ground, sure that he didn't want to see Gibbs' reaction when he answered that question.

"Yeah…uh Duck?"

"Yes my boy?"

"It's back, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Let me speak to Jethro."

Gibbs had heard the entire conversation and he was starting to get a very bad feeling in his gut. Tony handed over phone without looking directly at him and the team leader practically snatched it from the other man's hand.

"Duck? What's back? Are we talking about the friggin' plague again?" Gibbs didn't think that was possible, but he'd long ago learned to give up on the idea of "impossible" when it came to Tony.

"No, no, nothing like that. Though it does appear that he's got valley fever again."

"Again?"

"Yes, Anthony mentioned that he had it right before you left on your first trip to Arizona. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for it to relapse, especially in someone whose immune system has been compromised or already has a predisposition to certain illnesses, as he would with his damaged lung tissue."

"He picked it up again the last time we were here?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps he just had a flu coming on and that was enough for your second trip to allow the spores to get to him again. Either way, we're dealing with the same result."

"So what's the prognosis?"

"Oh, not to worry Jethro, valley fever is quite treatable but you must get Anthony back to civilization immediately. If the disease is allowed to progress I'm afraid the first place it will decide to attack are the lungs and…..well, let's just not let it get there, shall we?"

Ducky's tone was excessively light, but everyone who heard him (the ones in the room with him as well as the ones sitting thousands of miles away), heard the underlying concern there.

"Got it, I'll call McGee now and get a chopper out here. Thanks for letting me know, Duck."

Gibbs hung up and started dialing McGee's number.

"Boss? Why can't I just ride back with you?" asked from his position on the ground.

"Because I said so."

"What about the horses? How are you going to get three back by yourself?"

"DiNozzo, I've been herding animals since before you were born. I think I can handle three perfectly trained horses and get them back home without your help."

Tony sat back, trying not to sulk. He knew that he'd just lost consciousness and now, thanks to a talk with Ducky, he also knew that valley fever was nothing to mess with. Deep down though, he had stubbornly held on to the hope that he would somehow be able to finish his ride with Gibbs.

"McGee?"

This time, the line wasn't as clear and Tony was unable to hear McGee. Still sitting on the ground, he listened to the one side of the conversation that he could hear.

"I need you to call another chopper out here," Gibbs demanded, as usual not wasting any time on pleasantries. "No we're fine, but Tony's sick and Ducky says he needs to get back sooner rather than later. No, it's not serious…"

Tony could almost hear the unspoken "yet" at the end of that sentence and, perversely, it made him a little angry. Why was it always him who had something going wrong? Why did Gibbs always have to end up worrying about him? Why couldn't anything just go right for once?

"…but we need to get him back," Gibbs continued, breaking into Tony's momentary wallow in self pity. "You have the coordinates from the phone? Good, call me when it's on the way."

After Gibbs hung up, he walked over to get the horses and brought them closer so he could keep an eye on them. Part of Gibbs was furious at Tony for holding back on how badly he felt but a bigger part was a hell of a lot more pissed at himself for missing it. Not trusting himself to speak in case he ended up tearing Tony a new one (something he didn't want to do until the other man was back safely in the care of a doctor), Gibbs held his tongue and waited for McGee's call.

Unable to take the silent treatment any longer, Tony spoke up finally.

"Boss, can't we just start riding again?"

"What? And risk you falling off and maybe breaking your neck this time? Stay where you are, DiNozzo."

Tony unconsciously wrapped his arms around his body, a shiver running through him suddenly. Asking Gibbs if they could move hadn't come only out of wanting to break the silence between them. Telling Ducky that he'd felt like crap earlier, seemed like an understatement now. Tony tried to fight back a few coughs that started in his chest but as each moment passed, they became more insistent until finally he let loose with a fit that lasted almost half a minute. When it was over, Tony had to blink back the black dots floating in his vision from the momentary lack of oxygen. Breathing heavily, he felt familiar fingers digging into his bicep as his boss knelt beside him again.

"Tony?"

"Yep, still with ya Boss. Um….do you think you could find out what's keeping the chopper? Suddenly I don't feel so good."

Gibbs popped up like someone had shot at him, dialing the phone as fast as he could. Anytime Tony actually admitted something was wrong it meant only one thing.

Something was VERY wrong.

"McGee! What the hell is taking so long?" he shouted into the phone as soon as the younger man picked up the line. "What? What are you talking about? There's no sign of….."

Gibbs' voice trailed off and even in his less-than-stellar state, Tony heard something in the other man's voice he didn't like. Peering up at his boss, he noticed that Gibbs was holding the phone to his ear but staring off towards the west. Tony slowly followed his gaze and saw what had made the other man pause.

There, billowing in towards them was just about the biggest and baddest bunch of storm clouds that Tony had ever seen. He'd heard that storms could pop up out of the blue in a desert but this was his first time ever seeing one.

Gibbs regarded the dark clouds for a few seconds, before turning his attention back to the phone.

"I don't care what they're saying about the weather. I want a chopper here, NOW."

Gibbs hung up the phone, taking a minute to think. Truthfully he knew that no matter how much he growled and hollered, he couldn't change the weather, and the weather was having no part of letting a helicopter come out to their location safely. Making a decision, he reached down and lifted Tony to his feet.

"What's up boss?" Tony asked after the momentary dizziness had passed, though he still leaned heavily on Gibb's strong arm.

"Time for Plan B."

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_A/N - As far as I know, they've never told us Tony's middle name on the show, only given us the initial "D". Where I come from, an adult calling a child by their full name means serious business and I really wanted Ducky to give Tony quite a scolding so I had him do the "full name" thing. When I was little, if I heard one of my aunts or my grandma call me by my full name, I knew I was in BIG trouble. LOL._

_So I looked up common Italian boys' names and thought that "David" fit really well and had a nice ring to it. I know, I know, it's also Ziva's last name (pronounced differently) but honestly I wasn't trying to put any hidden message there. I just liked the way it sounded. Oh and it means "beloved" which I thought was nice, and it seemed like maybe something his mother would have decided (since daddy obviously got to pick Tony's first name). _


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey folks! Sooo sorry for long delay! I've been writing my little tushy off for my new job, not only reviewing all my normal tv shows(Lie to Me, Memphis Beat, White Collar, Covert Affairs, Psych and The Gates)but also writing some opinion articles as well. Recently the staff was asked to do articles on each of our top 5 favorite tv shows of all time. My first article was about NCIS (of course!) so please feel free to check it out (the link to my page on their site is on my profile page here). You can also see all of the coverage I did for Comic-Con up there too, on shows like Castle, Hawaii Five-O, The Walking Dead and more. _

_Also I just got my new fall assignments and guess what people? In addition to reviewing a ton of great stuff (like Supernatural, Castle, Bones, Hawaii Five-O and lots more) I've been assigned to review NCIS! So now I'm doubly excited for the premiere on Tuesday September 21. _

_As you can see I've been pretty busy and, in a nice bit of irony, I got sick last week and was stuck in bed for a few days. A part of me thinks that somehow it was Tony figuring out a way to get back at me once he saw what I have in store for him in these next few chapters, LOL. But I'm doing better now and ready to get back to work on this story. _

_So with no further ado, let's get on with the show…._

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Chapter Eleven

"_Okay Comanche, you're in charge now."_

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"Abigail, you really must stop doing that," Ducky said with a sigh, rubbing his thumb and forefinger across his brows and trying to massage the headache that had started to form behind his eyes.

"Doing what?"

"Pacing," Jimmy supplied helpfully.

"I'm not pacing," Abby replied, completely unaware that she had been walking back and forth across autopsy again and again, doing it once again even as she denied it. She'd been making the trip over and over across the tile floor ever since they'd hung up the phone with McGee and Ziva, and it was starting to drive Ducky to distraction.

"I don't know why you would think I was pacing, I don't pace. Pacing is what expectant fathers do in old movies, I would never…." Abby looked down at her feet, seemingly surprised by their errant behavior. "Oh."

"Not to worry, my dear. We're all worried about Anthony. I'm sure we'll hear something shortly."

Ducky's phone rang and he smiled at the young Goth reassuringly. "See? I'm sure that's some good news now."

Ducky picked up the phone but within a few seconds both Palmer and Abby could tell that it wasn't the good news they had hoped for.

"Jethro? Is that you? I can barely hear….what? Oh dear. All right, well the most important thing now to is to find shelter and get him out of the elements. What? Well yes of course I'd prefer him in a hospital but from what you've said he doesn't sound too bad….yet."

Abby and Palmer looked at each other worriedly at Ducky's tone in that last word.

"Just get him to the cabin and call me when you get there. What can you expect? Well, right now it's not much worse than a bad flu Jethro, but the symptoms of valley fever can vary greatly. He may experience much the same as he already has - the muscle aches, coughing and bloody sputum. But he could also have severe chest pains, develop a rash or get extremely sensitive to light and possibly even experience a change in his mental status. Frankly I'm most worried about the fever part of "valley fever". A fever is usually not too worrisome, but without the means to get it down it could lead to dehydration, which is quite dangerous. Basically Jethro, it's not the disease you have to worry about, it's all of the symptoms that come with it and the inability to treat them. So just keep him warm and dry and he should be fine until help arrives."

Ducky hung up the phone and looked at the two younger people staring at him expectantly. The conversation with his old friend didn't do a lot to alleviate his own worry about Tony but he wasn't about to frighten Abby and Palmer, so he put on his most reassuring smile before giving them an update.

"There's been a slight change of plan…"

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Gibbs pressed the disconnect button on the sat phone and stuck it back in his saddle bag. He had decided to get Tony back to Dina's cabin. There was no other choice now that a chopper was out of the question. The stable on the outskirts of town was another day away, at least, but with any luck they could make it back to the cabin by nightfall. It wouldn't be a hospital but Gibbs was hoping that the storm would blow over by morning and then the promised chopper would be able to come get them…..it had to.

Only trouble was that no matter how fast they rode, they were never going to beat the storm. Gibbs had toyed with the idea of tearing off at breakneck speed but quickly decided it was a bad idea. First off it wouldn't get them back to the cabin before they got soaked anyway and second of all, he didn't think Tony could stay aboard a galloping horse considering how he was barely staying on a walking one. They were going to get wet, no two ways about it, then Gibbs would just get the other man inside as quickly as possible, stoke up a nice fire and wait it out. It wasn't the perfect place to deal with a sick man, but it was a damn sight better than being outside in the elements.

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Tony hadn't thought he could feel any worse than he did before they left D.C., but his body was taking great pleasure in informing of just how wrong that assumption had been. He couldn't even believe that a mere couple of hours ago he'd been happy as a clam, singing his heart out and able to ignore the lingering pains that had plagued him for weeks. Then he'd felt a little worse but the promise of a helicopter ride to someplace warm had kept his hopes up. He'd known that a hospital stay was also in his future too but if it meant a warm bed and feeling better (not to mention a hot nurse or too), Tony had been willing to suffer through it.

Of course all of that had been before The Storm of The Century had decided to bust in on the party. "TSTC" (funny how so many of the crappy things in his life were earning acronyms these days) had had dropped in, probably a friend of TFTWNQ, and decided to have a little fun too.

Now he was cold, riding in biting winds that were bringing the promise of torrential rains with every passing moment, and he felt worse than ever. His body had apparently grown sick and tired of pushing through and it was done fighting. Barely able to keep his head up as they rode mile after mile, Tony was only aware of every step that his horse took under him, and not much else.

Well that, and the fact that he hurt.

Every time he tried to take a deep breath, his chest ached. When his chest wasn't aching, his lungs were burning. When his lungs weren't burning he was coughing, which usually started the whole process over again.

In addition to that it felt like every major muscle he had was being torn slowly apart. These weren't the usual muscle aches that came from the flu. Oh no, these were much worse. Staying upright in the saddle was getting harder and harder as his legs twitched and pulsed in pain.

So Tony kept his head down, following Gibbs wherever he led them. He didn't have the strength or the brainpower left to question the other man, not that he would anyway. Gibbs had said they were instituting Plan B and Tony wasn't sure what that was but anything sounded better than the way he felt. Even if a chopper couldn't make it, Tony knew that if anyone could get them back to civilization, it was Gibbs.

On his own horse, Gibbs snuck a glance over at his senior field agent and felt his jaw clench at what he saw. Every time he looked over at the other man, Tony seemed worse than before.

So they rode on. Every once in a while, Gibbs would check on his companion, reassuring himself that Tony was still somewhat with him. Whenever he saw the man's eyes glaze over and his head droop, he would reach across and touch Tony's arm.

"Hey DiNozzo, stay with me, we're almost there."

'Almost there' was pretty much a bold-faced lie. Gibbs had been saying it each time he pulled Tony back from unconsciousness and it was only slightly truer every time he said it. He just hoped that it was helping Tony stay focused enough to keep his tenuous hold on consciousness. How the man was staying upright in the saddle Gibbs didn't know, though he was grateful. If worse came to worse he would pull Tony over to his horse and hold him up himself if he had to. Maybe in a western, an unconscious man would be thrown belly down over his horse's saddle and led, Gibbs wasn't about to let that happen. Listening to the way Tony was coughing, Gibbs doubted that the position would do any good for him.

As he laid his hand on Tony's arm to shake him awake again, Gibbs felt the shivers running through his body as the sun began to set and a few raindrops began to fall. Knowing that he should keep Tony as warm as possible, Gibbs stopped the horses and grabbed his bedroll from the back of his saddle. Pulling Tony's horse closer, he draped the wool blanket around the other man's shoulders. Tying together the strings that had held it to the saddle, he made a rope long enough to lash it kimono-style around Tony's waist.

Then, reaching into his pockets, Gibbs pulled out his gloves. "Tony, give me your hands."

Mutely, Tony offered up both of his hands to his boss, not asking why and simply trusting that the other man had his reasons.

As Gibbs grappled with Tony's nearly lax fingers, thoughts of Kelly once again came to mind. Pulling and tugging the gloves into place he remembered many a morning of wrestling with a wriggling toddler who was ready to go in the snow, whether her father had put on her gloves or not. Once the gloves were on, Gibbs got the horses moving again, taking a look over his shoulder to make sure that Dina's mount was still following behind them.

A little while later the rain continued to fall lightly as Gibbs looked up in relief, recognizing the rock formation up ahead. They were near the river they had to cross on the way to Dina's cabin. Following sedately behind their horses, Dina's horse perked up its ears as they approached the shallow river.

"You know we're getting close, don't you Comanche?" Gibbs said to the animal, remembering that Tony had asked for its name from Dina before they left, not wanting the task of making up another one. Gibbs had worked with animals a long time and knew they recognized their homes and other locations they visited a lot. He didn't find it odd at all that the horse would know exactly where they were going.

But instead of pulling forward as he would have expected, Gibbs was surprised when the animal slowed down, causing Gibbs to have to tug gently on the lead rope. Leading two horses wasn't that complicated, but when one held a man who was barely conscious and the other was backing off like a stubborn mule, the job became harder.

"Hey, get up!" Gibbs called out with authority and soon the horse moved forward again. Unsure what would make the beast slow down when they were nearing its home, Gibbs shook his head and led them around the large rocks to the place where they'd crossed the river earlier. The going was much slower than he'd like with Comanche still baulking and as they got closer, Gibbs finally figured out what the animal's trouble was.

"Whoa!"

All three horses stood stock still and stared as Gibbs stared with them. The river, which had earlier been barely knee-high, was now a raging torrent.

In the mountains high above, the rains had already started falling and though only a few drops had fallen where Gibbs was, there was a downpour miles away. The rain had swollen the river at the mountaintop and now it was running through the valley with no signs of slowing down. In fact, with the rain heading Gibbs' way, it was only going to get worse.

Plan B had now turned into Plan C.

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It took Gibbs a few seconds to recover from the sight of the river that very nearly could have been the death of them all. If he'd been plowing ahead like he'd wanted to, he may not have been able to stop the horses in time and all would have been dunked into the cold water. Silently blessing the instinct of animals that knew better than he about their own environments, Gibbs quickly backed them away from the water and reached for the sat phone. He was going to need some help.

As he tried dialing, Gibbs could see the screen of the device glowing in the ever increasing dark and was dismayed to see the words "no service" come up. Considering the storm that was headed their way, it wasn't a surprise but it was still damn inconvenient. Looking over at his partner, Gibbs felt his chest tighten with new worry as Tony's head lolled on his shoulders. With no chopper coming and no way to get to the only real shelter he knew of in the area, how exactly was he going to keep the other man dry and warm as Ducky had suggested?

Looking around, Gibbs saw nothing but darkness. The sun had finally set, leaving him alone with three animals and a very sick man. He was starting to think hard about what to do next when he felt a tug on the lead rope connected to Comanche.

"Whoa, easy," he said distractedly, still trying to think of a new plan. When the animal tugged again, he felt the insistence behind the motion. It was as if the horse was purposely trying to get him to move somewhere, and that's when the light came on in Gibbs' head.

Dina rode through this area all the time, the cabin was her second home and where she often liked to create her art. Chances were that she and Comanche had been caught in just such a predicament before and maybe, just maybe, the animal knew where to go. Taking a chance, Gibbs loosened the lead rope and gave the horse its head to go where it wanted.

"Okay Comanche, you're in charge now."

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_A/N: I just wanted to quickly mention that for any of you who are also fans of Laine3112 (and who wouldn't be? She's a fantastic author), you might want to go to my profile page and follow the link to my fanfiction blog. Laine did an absolutely brilliant guest post about the subject of reviews and it's incredibly insightful not only as an author but as a reader as well. Also I highly recommend that you check out her current story, called "Mistaken Identity". She is currently going through some more medical issues and once again I find myself in awe of the fact that she can do that while producing such great work. My hat's off to you again, my dear. _


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi folks!_

_I don't think "sorry" is nearly enough to express how I feel about letting this story sit for so long but it's the only word I can think of so I guess I'll use it. _

_Sorry! _

_Very, very long story and I shall not bore anyone with details but suffice to say that ugly monster, the true enemy of all fanfic writers, known as "real life" reared its ugly head and kept me away. I've had a lot of stuff to deal with for the past couple months but I'm slowly getting back to normal and really wanted to get back to this story. _

_I also wanted to say thanks to everyone who dropped me a line to check in and see when the next update was coming. Every time I got a message that people were really looking forward to reading more, it kept me motivated to get back to writing. Thanks to solstice, jdm and all the others who left me some unsigned reviews for a few of my stories. Had I been able to, I would have replied to each directly. _

_This next chapter isn't long but I just wanted to get something up so that I could get back into the swing of things, plus I didn't want to leave Gibbs and Tony aimlessly wandering forever. Next chapter will be up much sooner than the last, that much I can guarantee. :o)_

_-Moki_

Chapter Twelve

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_Gibbs really didn't want to think about that last one. _

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Abby was pacing again. Ducky let her this time, knowing the poor girl needed to do something to ease the tension that was coursing through her body. If he'd had half her energy, the old ME might have been tempted to start walking the floors himself. As it was, he let her do it for him.

"I don't like this. I can't feel Gibbs. Usually I can feel him but this time I can't. I can't feel him on my Gibbs-dar," Abby paused in her walk to wave her hands over her head frantically.

"Gibbs-dar?" Palmer asked, looking at Ducky who shrugged in reply.

Yeah, you know, like a radar, but for Gibbs….Gibbs-dar. I mean Tony's get the best. McGee's is pretty good too, though. Mine is okay but it goes on the fritz sometimes. My gay-dar is much better. I have this friend Steve and he always wants me to be his wingwoman when we go out because I can spot….."

"Abby," Ducky said, tilting his head sideways and holding out his arms, knowing exactly what she needed right then. Abby stopped talking ran into straight them, sniffling into the older man's shoulder. "I'm babbling again aren't I? I always do that when I'm worried."

"Yes, I know my dear and frankly I find it quite endearing."

Abby giggled, wiping her eyes quickly on her sleeve and backing away to hold Ducky at arm's length. "You're just saying that to make me feel better, aren't you?"

"Well that all depends, my dear."

"On what?"

"Did it work?"

Abby smiled and gave Ducky another squeeze. Over her shoulder, the ME smiled to himself, happy that he'd managed to distract her for a little while longer.

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"Are you sure _this_ isn't the dumbest thing you've ever done?" Gibbs shook his head as he spoke to the man riding next to him, even though he was sure Tony wasn't listening.

Gibbs was fairly certain that if Tony weren't halfway unconscious he'd be remarking that this probably was in fact the stupidest thing that either of them had ever done. They were following a horse through terrain in complete darkness and a pouring rainstorm. Not wanting to waste their flashlights, he'd chosen to trust the animal's superior sight. Gibbs had no idea where she was leading them and for all he knew, the creature could well be taking them to its favorite grazing ground. Taking a chance that Comanche knew where she was going, Gibbs kept his and Tony's horses on her tail. The mare was moving at a pace that made it easy for him to keep up and Gibbs had to fight the thought that maybe she knew the predicament they were in and maybe even understood that a man's life was in her hands….hooves. He knew horses were smart, but were they that smart?

As he followed behind Comanche, Gibbs mind went back to when he and Tony had been in Arizona previously. At the time he'd only been concerned about keeping a woman safe, but he did recall Tony saying something that suddenly made a lot more sense.

"_It's not that I'm afraid of getting it again…."_

Gibbs heard the words ring in his head, their meaning suddenly clear. Why hadn't he listened? Ducky had told them that valley fever wasn't usually dangerous….except for people with weakened immune systems. Tony was strong as an ox but there was one part of his body that wasn't – lungs damaged by a plague that wasn't even supposed to exist anymore.

At the time, Gibbs had been so focused on getting to Dina and finding out what her connection was to their murdered NCIS agent, he hadn't been paying attention. Tony had rambled on and on about his previous run-in with the disease (back before he'd joined NCIS) while Gibbs and Boyd had all but ignored the man riding between them.

Before Gibbs could ruminate on why he hadn't been paying closer attention to his agent, he felt a change. Other than a few distant lightning flashes to go along with the torrential downpour, there had been no light for Gibbs to see where they were going. There had only been total blackness and while there was still blackness, he still sensed that something had changed. Gibbs looked up as he realized what it was - he wasn't getting wet.

He could still hear the rain and knew for certain that the storm was showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. Why then was there none falling on their heads? A few seconds later he got his answer when another bolt of energy lit up the night sky and he saw that Comanche had led them under a cliff. The rock cavity was almost too shallow to be called a cave though still plenty deep enough for three horses and two men to find shelter in a terrible storm.

"Not bad, Comanche. You're better at this than some of my agents." Gibbs mumbled as he rode up to where the mare had stopped, pausing to give her a grateful pat on the neck. The horse gave him a brief sniff, then turned her attention to Tony. Giving the man a nudge with her nose, she seemed to be trying to revive him.

Gibbs got her message and turned his attention back to the other man. When a horse told you that you were neglecting your junior agent, you better listen up, since she probably sensed a heck of a lot more than you could.

Sliding off his horse, Gibbs pulled Tony's mount closer until he was touching his knee.

"Tony? DiNozzo, you with me?"

Still pitch dark, Gibbs couldn't see the other man's face, then Tony's muscles twitched under his hand, and he heard a soft mutter in reply. Satisfied that Tony was still somewhat lucid, Gibbs left him where he was for the moment. No need to get the man down when he was bound to do nothing except fall when he got there. Gibbs needed a place to lay him down, but where?

Feeling his way to his saddle pack, Gibbs fumbled around in the dark until he found his flashlight, willing to use it briefly now that he had no other choice. Turning it on he found a place as far away from the opening as possible and decided to set their camp there. The spot would give Tony the most protection from the wind and rain. As he started pulling the gear off the horses, Gibbs frowned when he realized that all of their bedding was soaking wet. Not that he was surprised of course, but he didn't relish the idea of putting a sick man on wet blankets, or into the dirt for that matter.

Gibbs would have gladly given up his own clothing but unfortunately he was just as drenched as everything else. Pulling off his horse's saddle, he slid the saddle blanket off and was about to toss it aside when he stopped to run his hands over it. Other than the outer edge where it had peeked out under the leather of the saddle, the blanket was almost completely dry.

Happy to have caught a small break, Gibbs took the blanket and laid it out in the space he'd picked to put Tony. The blanket wasn't perfectly dry and it may not smell too good, but he doubted that Tony would mind. Going back to Tony's horse, he reached for the other man's leg again.

"Ride's over, DiNozzo. Time to get off."

Feeling familiar fingers squeezing his leg, Tony roused momentarily and gave a weary smile.

"Aw, already? Can't I have another turn on the pony, dad?"

Gibbs shook his head and chuckled slightly. Leave it to DiNozzo to joke around at a time like this. Reaching up as far as he could, Gibbs helped to guide the younger man down to the ground, throwing quick hands under his arms to catch him as he stumbled.

"Told ya to lay off the booze, DiNozzo," Gibbs made his own jibe as he led the stumbling agent over to the blanket. As Tony lay on the thing he gave a whiff and wrinkled his nose.

"I thought these things smelled bad on the outside," he mumbled, looking up in the light of the flashlight at Gibbs' confused expression.

"Sorry boss, Star Wars reference...actually to be technical….," he paused to cough briefly. "it was an Empire Strikes Back reference but I guess you wouldn't….."

"Saw the movie DiNozzo," Gibbs interrupted, tucking the blanket over Tony's shoulders. "But since I didn't cut open a beast's belly and stuff you inside, I didn't think it worked all that well."

Tony smiled before closing his eyes, shivering briefly as he coughed again. Gibbs frowned as he thought about how cold it was in there makeshift shelter. No doubt their situation was better now that they were out of the elements and in a dry cave, but a fire sure would have been helpful right about then. Thinking of the fireproof matches packed safely with his gear, Gibbs took his flashlight to see if he could find anything to use them with.

Two lucky breaks in less than five minutes seemed like a lot to ask. So when Gibbs spotted the pile of dry wood at the back of the cave, he thought he was seeing things at first. Over the years, high winds and occasional flood waters brought branches, sometimes even small trees, into the cave. It didn't happen often, just often enough to give Gibbs what he needed to build a fire and keep it going (hopefully) all night. Apparently someone was looking out for them.

Once the fire was crackling nicely and Gibbs had gotten some water into Tony, he sat down opposite his charge. Now that there was nothing else he could do, Gibbs started to feel the first tinges of worry. How long would it be until the storm let up? How long until a chopper came? How long did Tony have until none of that mattered because he was too far gone anyway?

Gibbs really didn't want to think about that last one.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hello folks!_

_A great big thank you to Laine3112 for her help with this chapter. I know that she will probably argue that it wasn't much, because that's just who she is. But her tweaks, as well as the additions to the dialogue between Tony and Gibbs helped me get through some nagging self-doubts about where it was going. Without her help I would probably still be slogging away at it and growling at my computer screen for who knows how many more days. You have her to thank for this fairly timely update (at least compared to my last, LOL). _

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

Chapter Thirteen

"Because I will not allow myself to think any other way."

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After thirty minutes of doing anything he could think of to keep his hands busy, Gibbs had to force himself to sit down again in front of the fire. Sitting for a few minutes after he'd gotten Tony settled had caused stray thoughts to work their way into his head and, in an attempt to keep them at bay, he had jumped up and gone to their saddle bags. Unpacking their clothes and sleeping gear, Gibbs had spread everything out on the rocks near the fire. Within a few hours something should be dry enough to wrap around Tony, as Gibbs couldn't help but to notice how the other man shivered even in his sleep.

Once he'd laid out everything on the rocks, Gibbs had gone back to look through their other supplies. There were a few packets of camp food as well as two full canteens full of water. He doubted Tony would want to eat anytime soon and water was nothing if not plentiful so he knew he didn't need to worry about sustenance. Surely, they'd be rescued well before either became a problem.

So now he sat, with nothing else to do to keep his hands or his mind busy. He watched the fire, stealing glances at the man sleeping on the other side of it.

"You know Boss, you keep staring at me like that and…." Tony paused to cough lightly. "I'm gonna start to think your interest is a little Brokeback Mountain."

Gibbs' lips twisted in a small grin, he hadn't realized Tony was awake. One of these days he was going to have to ask Tony how he always knew when Gibbs' eyes were on him, even when his own were closed or his back was turned.

"You should be resting."

Sensing the team leader's unspoken worry, Tony wrapped his arms tighter around his body and rolled onto his side to face his boss. The older man's body language was relaxed and casual but the blue eyes spoke of concern and a rare feeling of helplessness. Hating that he was the cause of that worry, Tony immediately defaulted to humor, trying to ease his partner's concern with the normality of their banter.

"Tried to sleep, can't."

"Try harder."

"It doesn't work like that, Boss! Even you can't just order somebody to sleep."

"Ordered you not to die once…worked then," Gibbs shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I was a little more motivated then. I wasn't thrilled with the alternative."

A few moments of silence followed and just as Gibbs thought Tony had drifted off, the younger man spoke again.

"You know, Boss, when I was a kid and I was sick or I couldn't sleep, my Mom would sing to me."

"You suggesting I sing you a lullaby, DiNozzo?"

"Under the circumstances, I think that would be nice but as I haven't heard your singing voice, it may do more harm than good…we don't wanna attract coyotes."

"DiNozzo! Go to sleep!" Gibbs said firmly but without rancor.

"On it, boss."

Tony closed his eyes and tried to sleep again, but even as exhausted as he was, something kept pulling him back from the peace of slumber. He'd start to drift off, his body relaxing fully as sleep would seep into his bones. Then a cough would shake him back awake. It went on like that for a while - nearly asleep then a cough, over and over. He'd almost gotten to the point where he was so used to the routine he probably would have fallen asleep anyway. But that's when the muscles in his body began their relentless ache again.

They'd originally started in on him while he'd been riding earlier, pain in his legs, shoulders, arms, hands, hell even his feet. This time, there was no motion of a horse under him to help relieve the pain from the cramping and tensing. It was like a strange form of torture, the coughs and aches keeping him from being able to lay still long enough to claim the rest he needed so badly.

As the muscle spasms in his body grew stronger, Tony slowly began moving - just slightly at first, a gentle rocking of one of his feet. There was something about the motion that felt, well maybe not better, but different, and different was something, different was akin to better. As the pain continued to worsen, it attacked the muscles in his thighs. This made Tony feel an even stronger need to move, to combat the feeling. Soon he his whole body was rocking gently back and forth, back and forth, like some sort of macabre dance.

Causing motion, rather than waiting for the spasms to make his body shake anyway - made Tony feel like he was in control. If he did it himself, then he wasn't only a bystander watching idly as his innards raged a war he couldn't fight with his own two hands. Tony really wished he could fight it - anything was better than sitting back and being a victim. Unable to fight back the way he wanted, he did the only thing he could to take back some semblance of control.

Watching from across the fire, Gibbs was helpless. He knew the earlier exchange was a ruse to cover the discomfort the younger man was feeling, but Gibbs could see what was happening as clearly as Tony could feel it. Remembering what Ducky had said, he'd known that the other man might start feeling pain in his limbs, but knowing it and watching him go through it were two different things and the watching part was a lot harder than he thought it would be. There was absolutely nothing he could really do for him, but unable to watch the younger man suffer any longer, Gibbs got up and knelt at Tony's side.

"Tony, stop." Gibbs ordered quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Can't." Tony said, keeping his eyes closed and continuing to rock his body in time to some unheard tune.

"Yes, you can."

Tony looked up into the other man's eyes and saw something in them that compelled him to pause in his incessant motion. Gritting his teeth, Tony forced his legs stop moving. Shivers still shook his body and coughing rattled his lungs every few minutes, but for now at least, he had stopped forcing the unnecessary movements of his limbs.

Gibbs gave Tony's shoulder a squeeze before nodding his head and settling himself down next to the other man. It had unnerved him to see Tony lose control like that and, even more than that, it worried him that the other man was going to further weaken his taxed system if he'd continued.

The crackling of the fire was the only sound inside the cave, though the storm still rampaged outside. Gibbs checked the sat phone again, knowing it would still be out but feeling the need to see the "out of service" message on the screen with his own eyes to be sure. Rubbing his arms with his hands, he took another piece of wood and threw it on the fire. Stealing a glance at his companion, it appeared that Tony had fallen asleep again. Gibbs didn't know how long he was going to stay asleep, but for Tony's sake, he hoped it would be for a little while at least.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

"Dammit!" McGee's voice ripped through the small hotel room, jarring Ziva awake and causing her to sit up in her chair and blink in confusion until she remembered where they were. The two of them had gotten a hotel room close to the town's small landing field, wanting to be able to get to Gibbs and Tony just as soon as a chopper could lift them out of the canyon.

Ziva looked over from where she'd been dozing in her chair, unwilling to climb into the bed. Her reluctance had nothing to do with bunking down with a member of the opposite sex. She'd done that plenty of times, not only during her time in the army in her own country, but also while on Gibbs' team. She could care less if McGee or any of the other members of the team saw her in sleeping attire. She was forgoing the bed because she didn't think that she deserved to sleep in a nice, warm place while two of her teammates were suffering out in the cold, especially when one of those teammates was ill.

By unspoken agreement, the two agents had thrown their bags on to the empty beds in the rooms when they'd arrived, but had yet to get anywhere near them again. McGee had set up shop at the small desk, pulling out his laptop and the sat phone and setting up chargers for both. The corner was now a mess of wires and constant beeps and noises as one of McGee's programs gave them up-to-the-minute weather reports. With all of his technology though, McGee had no control over their situation and it was starting to really piss him off.

"McGee? What is the matter?" Ziva asked, stretching awake from the chair on the other side of the room.

"The sat phone is still dead. The weather programs are predicting the current storm to get worse in the next two hours, guaranteeing no service for at least that much longer. I still can't get anyone on the line who would be willing to chopper out there, oh and the national weather service is reporting a possible second storm on the way. Take your pick."

Ziva got up slowly and walked over to her partner's side.

"McGee, you have been staring at these screens all night. Perhaps you should…."

"I'm not sleeping, Ziva."

"I did not suggest sleep. But maybe you should step away for a little while. You cannot solve this problem right now and it is not your fault, it is no one's fault."

McGee didn't take his eyes off of his screen. "If I hadn't been an idiot on horseback, Gibbs and Tony wouldn't have had to leave us behind. Then we would have been with them….we could have helped them get to Dina faster and caught Sax faster. Then we would have been back before the storm hit…..before Tony…."

"McGee, you are forgetting that I was unable to control my horse, also. I, too, was a…what did Tony call it…a 'tenderfoot,' yes? We cannot lay blame where there is none to be had.

Gibbs and Tony did what they needed to do and if the roles had been reversed, you and I could just as easily have been the ones out there with Gibbs in the rain."

"Yeah, but neither of us is sick right now," McGee pointed out sullenly.

Ziva turned away and went to look out the window and the rain crashing outside.

"They will be fine, McGee," she stated with conviction.

"How can you know that, Ziva?"

"Because I will not allow myself to think any other way."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hi folks!**_

_**Once again, thanks for all the reviews on that last chapter. Y'all are so good to me and it really helps to keep me motivated.**_

_**Just a few notes about this chapter, first off a warning for an "f-bomb", because honestly there was no other way that sentence was going to come out (you'll know what I mean when you read it). **_

_**Secondly, just a reminder that this story is set all the way back in season six, which is way before Daddy DiNozzo came back into Tony's life. So anything I've said here about him is based on what we knew back then. **_

_**Some definitions (in case you forgot, cuz I know I nearly did)**_

"_**TFTWNQ" = The Flu That Would Not Quit**_

"_**TSTC" = The Storm of The Century**_

"_**VF" = Valley Fever**_

_**And finally I just wanted to let y'all know that you can now follow me on Facebook! Just go to my profile page and follow the link there, or just type in Facebook (slash) Mokibobolink. If you want to read all the stuff I've been writing - including reviews, entertainment news, misc. articles and more, that's the place to be as I update the page every time something of mine is published. **_

_**Okay, now on with the show!**_

_**-Moki**_

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Chapter Fourteen

"_Yes, ma'am."_

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

The crackling of the fire, the rain pouring outside, the quiet movements of the three horses on the other side of the cave, plus Tony's wheezing breaths were all that could be heard for a while. Gibbs would never admit it to anyone but he was tired, bone tired, and the monotony was making his eyes heavy. Just before they closed completely, he heard a noise from Tony and sat up quickly, taking in a deep breath of fresh air to force his body awake.

Gibbs had settled himself not too far away from Tony's head, wanting to keep an eye on the other man while he slept. Hearing the Italian's voice, Gibbs leaned over and put a hand on Tony's arm.

"Hey. Tony, you need something?"

Tony's eyes opened slowly and Gibbs noticed how they shined brightly in the firelight. At the same time he felt the intense warmth radiating from Tony's arm through the damp fabric of his shirt. The material was thick but should have dried already, as Gibbs own clothing was nearly so. The fact that it wasn't, that Gibbs could feel moisture seeping between his fingers, it had to mean that the fever Duck warned him about had started.

"VF is so boring, I'm almost disappointed." Tony rasped softly.

"What?"

"TFTWNQ is a cooler acronym….sounds a lot more interesting… rather get killed by something interesting…..even if it's not that interesting because it's a virus and not an actual disease."

Gibbs frowned in puzzlement. "What are you talking about DiNozzo?"

Tony continued to stare straight ahead into the fire and it was then that Gibbs realized he wasn't even sure if the other man knew he was there. Tony just kept right on talking, his voice raw and his ramblings broken by a few weak coughs.

"Then again….. since TSTC is the one that made us stay here…. I supposed that's not so bad. I could always say I….. was killed by VF because of TSTC, that's a lot more interesting….though I don't know who'd I'd be telling that since I'd be dead…. Maybe angels or all my dead relatives…."

Gibbs may not understand what the hell his agent was talking about, but he definitely caught the tone and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Had this discussion before, DiNozzo. You're not dying on my watch. You hear me?"

Tony's eyes fluttered as he mumbled something Gibbs couldn't hear, then he was silent again. Just as Gibbs was certain Tony had lost consciousness, the sick man's voice came out of the semi-darkness.

"Gotcha….Boss."

After that, Tony's fever slowly continued to get worse, causing him to shiver and sweat alternatively. One minute Gibbs was looking for more wood to throw on the fire to combat the utter cold his agent was feeling, the next he was wiping sweat off the man's forehead with a handkerchief soaked with water from a canteen.

Then there were the ramblings. What started as a bunch of silly acronyms that Gibbs didn't understand, changed as the fever took a stronger hold on the ever weakening man.

"I'm never gonna be like him…never…"

Gibbs had checked their sleeping blankets and found one of them dry after a couple hours in front of the fire. Noting that Tony was trembling again, Gibbs pulled it off the rocks where he'd laid it down and put it over the feverish man. The thing was pretty thin, probably the reason it dried so fast, but it was better than nothing. Moving the second blanket closer to the fire so that it would soon dry too, Gibbs turned back as Tony began speaking again.

"He settles…..wrong women, over and over…I won't do that…..I won't!" Tony's arms flailed and Gibbs gently caught them in midair, putting them back down at his sides.

"Easy. You're not him, Tony," Gibbs said softly, not having to ask to know that Tony was talking about his father. He tried to hold the younger man down as his movements became increasingly desperate.

"S'pposed to be like him…what he wanted….never wanted a cop for a son…not the DiNozzo way…didn't want me…..never wanted me…" Tony's voice trailed off after a while and to Gibbs' relief he settled down, going into a deeper sleep again. Gibbs took advantage of the momentary lull to wipe at Tony's forehead. Holding the cloth against the other man's cheek, he studied his face worriedly before sitting down beside his patient.

That last bit Tony had said - that his father never wanted him - Gibbs wondered if Tony truly thought that way and if so, Gibbs also wondered how a man could make his child feel like that. The lead agent swore to himself that if he ever met the man he was going to have a long talk with him.

What could make a father ignore his son for so long? Especially a son that did nothing but good things in the world, hell by some standards DiNozzo was considered a damn hero. It wasn't like he deserved to be disowned. What could he possibly have done?

Gibbs had been curious and surprised when Tony contracted the plague and no one from his family had come to visit in the hospital, not even his father. It had been the first time his SFA had come so close to dying and Gibbs had expected his father to show up, worried and brooding like any parent should. Tony never mentioned it and Gibbs never asked, but after that Gibbs always made sure that he was on hand if the younger man was seriously injured. If his father couldn't care enough to make sure his son was okay, Gibbs was more than happy to do it for him. It was the least he could do for a man who had saved his own life on a number of occasions, let alone saved the lives of many others.

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked quickly over at the man lying beside him.

"Right here, DiNozzo."

Tony looked like he was about to say something else when suddenly he began breathing faster, in and out through his nose, the exhalations coming out in short blasts so hard Gibbs was convinced he would blow the fire out.

"Tony? You hurting?"

"No!" The denial was strong, swift, and it shocked Gibbs.

"Easy Tony, nothing wrong with….."

"No! Not hurting. Never. Don't worry…..didn't raise a weak son…DiNozzo men don't show pain…..never…..ever…." Tony's eyes were unfocused again, looking at Gibbs and yet not, staring at a point somewhere beyond his head.

"Not your dad, DiNozzo. I don't care…," but Tony continued, not hearing his mentor through his feverish haze.

"Don't let'em see ya sweat…..don't let'em see ya bleed…..never let'em see ya suffer…..all weaknesses. DiNozzos are NOT weak! You hear me boy?...Don't you dare start crying!...I won't have a crybaby living under my roof…"

"Aw, dammit DiNozzo," Gibbs said softly, hearing in Tony's voice the orders subjected to a child too young to understand them, from a man who should have been protecting his only son, not making his life harder.

Gibbs finally understood something then. Why Tony only showed pain when it wasn't real, when it was only a scratch, a paper cut, a joke. When everyone knew he was fine and they could only roll their eyes and complain about his obvious attempt to get attention. Crying wolf was Tony's way of keeping people from knowing when it really hurt. If people were always annoyed at your for trying to get attention, they'd ignore you when you the pain was real and harder to hide. Young Tony had been taught that when you were really hurting, that's when you said nothing, that's when you denied it to your last breath.

It also made Gibbs understand now why no hospital ever had contact information for Tony's father, despite the fact that the man was the agent's only family. Tony never called his dad any other time, to call him when he was sick or injured would be quite literally adding insult to injury. It would be providing proof that his father had been right to abandon him, to give up on a son who disobeyed his many rules. It made sense now why, when Tony lay dying in a glowing blue hospital bed, the only people at his side were his teammates.

Showing pain was weakness to DiNozzo Sr? Well, Gibbs would show his son that the old man wasn't always right.

"Hey Tony," Gibbs leaned down, swiping back sweat-soaked hair away from the other man's ear to make sure he heard him. "Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. Hiding that is dangerous. So I don't care if you're hurting, you tell me all about it, hell you scream if you want. Only way to fix it is to know where it is."

"No….can't…not right," Even as he protested, Tony's breathing became even more labored, each exhalation ending in shivering bursts through his nose.

"C'mon DiNozzo, don't pull that crap with me, not anymore."

Gibbs knew it was probably pointless, but he really wanted Tony to drop the act. The younger man was fighting two battles as it was – the pain itself and a deeply buried injunction not to let it show. If Tony would just let go and admit he was in pain - for once in his life ignore the orders of an overbearing father - maybe he'd be a little better off.

What Tony couldn't see, not having the luxury of looking at the situation from the outside like Gbbs could, was that he was losing strength, and fast. Gibbs hoped that by getting him to give up one fight, he'd have enough in him to take on the other opponent. Fighting a person who wasn't there was useless, saving your strength to fight off the effects of a disease currently kicking your ass, that made more sense.

"C'mon Tony, you know you can trust me. You know that I would never…,"

"Yes! It hurts! Okay? Are you happy now? It really fucking hurts!" Tony said in frustration, his eyes snapping open with sudden clarity and staring straight into the depths of Gibbs' blue orbs. In them Gibbs saw a heat not just from the fire or fever.

"That's all you had to say, Tony."

And though it felt better in his mind to say the words, though it quieted a voice Tony hadn't wanted to acknowledge roaming around inside his head, it didn't really do much for the physical sensations.

Unfortunately for Tony, admitting he hurt hadn't done a whole heck of a lot towards making it go away.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Tony had relaxed a little bit after Gibbs had forced him to admit the truth. Still feverish, he'd drifted into a fitful sleep, thrashing weakly every once in a while. Seeing how much the other man had been sweating, Gibbs had been trying to get him to drink a little water and stave off dehydration. So far he hadn't had much luck.

Vowing to himself that he would make it work this time, Gibbs pulled Tony's head into his lap and tried once again to get some water down the other man's throat. The younger man was barely conscious but every time Gibbs set the canteen to his lips he still managed to close them tight, turning his head away and moaning in protest.

Gibbs decided he'd had enough. "DiNozzo, drink this water and drink it now. I've had enough of these games. I don't care if you don't want it, you're drinking it and that's an order…..NOW!"

Despite putting on his best Drill Sergeant voice, he got much the same response as before. Holding the canteen steady to keep the water from spilling, Gibbs kept the opening at his agent's mouth. When it was obvious Tony still wasn't going to take the liquid, Gibbs sighed and put the canteen down, leaving Tony's head in his lap.

Gibbs didn't know what else to do and not for the first time that night, he wished that Ducky were there with them. Ducky would know what to do. In fact, the need to have his old friend around was so strong that soon Gibbs felt like he could hear the older man's pleasant voice drifting across the fire, as if he were sitting on the other side of it.

"_You have to get some water into him, Jethro. I'm afraid Anthony doesn't look good, not good at all. The illness is doing enough damage, don't let things like hypothermia and dehydration step in for the final blow and kill him. You can prevent those at least." _

Absently brushing a strand of sweaty hair from DiNozzo's face, Gibbs whispered back sadly to the empty cave.

"He won't take it, Duck."

"_Jethro, you have to stop thinking like a Marine. You can't order him to drink. Perhaps Tony will follow your orders but for the moment you have to realize that, for all intents and purposes, Tony isn't the only one there. You're also dealing with his body and his body is what is fighting you."_

"Then how am I supposed to think Duck?"

"_You're treating him like a soldier. Perhaps you should try a different tack. You know how stubborn he is. Stubborn people don't always respond to orders. Haven't you ever had to deal with someone more stubborn that you?"_

Ducky wasn't really there but Gibbs still found himself pondering the question anyway. As he did so, he realized that he had in fact dealt with someone much more stubborn than him. Someone who had never followed "orders".

Kelly.

"_Precisely my friend, maybe you need to stop thinking like a marine and start thinking like a father."_

Gibbs remembered many nights with a colicky baby, Kelly crying her heart out and refusing the bottle, despite the fact that she needed it. She had been tired and sick and hungry but too fussy to eat. Dealing with her had taught him something though - a person's body often knew what it needed more than they did. You just had to give them a chance to listen to it.

Pulling up the memories of dealing with a sick child rather than a soldier, Gibbs followed "Ducky's" advice and tried a different tack.

Holding the canteen to Tony's mouth, Gibbs tipped it slightly, just enough to allow some water to dribble on his lips. As before, Tony instantly thrashed, mumbling incoherently. But this time Gibbs didn't fight back, he just waited, pulling the canteen away so that the other man's actions wouldn't spill it. When it was over, Gibbs repeated the drill, just as he had with a tiny baby in his arms so many years ago.

After a few more tries, Tony's body responded of its own accord. The water touched parched skin and soon it took over, not allowing Tony to respond with flailing. Tony didn't feel like drinking, but now that his body had gotten a taste, it knew that he needed it and forced the issue, causing him to finally gulp down the much needed liquid.

"That's a good job, Tony," Gibbs said quietly, lowering Tony's head back to the ground. The effort of taking in just a few precious drops of liquid proved to be too much and this time Tony passed out completely, with no signs of ramblings or thrashing.

Gibbs walked to the mouth of the cave while Tony slept, looking outside for any signs of the rain letting up. Still many hours to go before sunrise, the rain poured just as it had earlier and Gibbs didn't have to look at the phone in his pocket to know that it still didn't have service. Turning back, he walked over to the horses and stood with them quietly for a few moments. Comanche walked forward, the mare already having taken on the role of leader in the spontaneously formed herd in just the short time since they'd been there.

Allowing Gibbs to scratch her neck and giving him a little break from worrying about Tony, she seemed to understand what he needed. Soon though, she had enough and shoved him with her nose, making it clear where his place was. Not about to disobey her very direct order, Gibbs gave her a final pat before heading back to his charge.

"Yes, ma'am."


	15. Chapter 15

_Hi folks! _

_First up, a quick note to Imascaper. Thanks so much for the lovely PM you sent. I would have replied directly but when I tried I got a message that your PM's were disabled. So I'm saying it here instead – thanks! :o)_

_In an example of art imitating life (or maybe life imitating art) I actually wrote a good portion of this chapter while at a riding stable. I have been driving a friend there so she can ride her horse every day and the time that I sit and wait for her to finish is often the only time I've had in a week to work on this story. As I'm still working upwards of 14 hrs most days. _

_In fact one night we had a bit of excitement as one of the other students came off her horse and, though she was wearing a helmet, she gave her noggin a good enough bang to start losing consciousness on us. Which meant that yours truly had to call the ambulance, help get the horse put away, direct the EMTs into the stable area, etc – I felt kinda like how Gibbs must feel, running everything behind the scenes as the riding instructor couldn't leave the young lady's side._

_Adventurous to say the least and now that all is well (turns out she may have fainted due to the shock more than anything else), it turned out to be also quite inspirational. LOL._

_Thanks as always for your patience, as well as the reviews, PM's etc. :o)_

_And now back to the story…_

Chapter Fifteen

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

_Unfortunately for Tony, the fever had found the key. _

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

Back at his post near Tony's head for a while (after obediently following Comanche's order to return his agent's side), Gibbs heard the first stirrings when the man started regaining consciousness, such as it was. The team leader watched with concern as his partner groaned and put his hands to chest, rubbing absently.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs inquired softly.

Hearing the worried tone in his boss' voice, Tony tried to say something reassuring to let Gibbs know he was fine, but without warning his body betrayed him.

The pain that Tony had barely managed to keep under control suddenly flared up again. Incredibly, unbelievably, it was worse than ever before, coming in the form of pressure in his chest. The muscles spasms had been awful, terrible things but as the chest pains made themselves known, Tony began wishing for the spasms to return instead. Every time he tried to take a breath, it felt like a freight train was trying to barrel into his sternum, taking away the air before it reached his lungs.

With this new pain also came something that hadn't been there earlier – fear, and lots of it. Before, Tony had almost been able to stand the feeling of his muscles tearing him apart literally limb from limb. Not being able to take a full breath was a lot more devious and when it reminded him of lying in a room of blue, he felt his breath shortening even more, panic seeping in as he wondered briefly if this was how he was going to die – struggling for oxygen with nothing stopping it from getting to him except for his own body.

As the seconds wore on and he had to fight harder and harder to breathe, Tony began to think that maybe death wasn't such a bad option. At least then the pain would be over. At least then he wouldn't have to bite his tongue to keep from screaming.

"Tony, what's….," Gibbs began, unsure what exactly was going on, but not missing the fact that something had definitely changed in the other man's condition.

"Boss… I can't," Tony's voice was desperate, his eyes practically rolling back into his head with pain.

Earlier Gibbs had gotten Tony to admit he was in pain, to trust him enough to not hide it. Now, as the team leader saw very clearly how much his partner was suffering, he wondered if that had been a mistake. Telling Tony to let it all out had been relatively easy - the results were much harder to watch.

Gibbs watched Tony struggle, helpless as to what to do next to assuage the pain clearly evident in the other man's face. The senior agent had seen that look before, had heard that desperation in someone's voice before and it worried him.

It took him back to the night Kelly was born. Shannon had decided to go completely natural and Gibbs had been amazed just how strong his wife had been that night. The only time things had gotten rough, when she'd nearly lost her nerve, was late in labor when the pains came more and more often, each one stronger than the last. She'd grabbed on to him desperately, a look of pure fear in her eyes that he'd never seen there before.

On the drive to the hospital Shannon had told him that he would have to be strong for her, even if she wavered. She had ordered him to keep it together and help her do the same, wanting badly to accomplish that type of birth for their child.

Near the end, Gibbs had come very near to breaking that promise, unable to watch his wife in so much pain. But he remembered his pledge and helped her to focus. He held her hands, looked in to her eyes and told her to look at him, only him, and breathe. After a few minutes, she got her concentration back and not long after, Kelly was born.

Once their daughter was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms and Shannon was comfortable, his wife had softly thanked him for his help. She'd never have been able to get through it without him, she said. Gibbs hadn't felt very helpful, in fact the whole time he'd wanted to call it quits and demand the damn drugs for her himself. But he had done what he had to do.

Looking at the younger man writhing beneath him, Gibbs didn't know if he had it in him to do it again. He didn't know if he could walk another person through that much agony and bring them out the other side with their sanity (and his) intact. The difference now of course was that Gibbs didn't have an entire medical staff and a plethora of drugs to fall back on. With Shannon he'd known that if things had gotten really bad, if she had told him that enough was enough, all he had to do was say the word and people much more trained than he would have taken over.

He didn't have such a luxury with DiNozzo. Right now it was just the two of them. No hospital, no doctors and definitely no drugs. The only way DiNozzo was going to survive this thing was with his help. So Gibbs did what he always did, he swallowed the fear and did what he had to do.

"Hey," Gibbs said. Noting how Tony's eyes went unfocused, he took hold of the younger man's arm and gave it a squeeze. "Hey, listen to me."

Tony blinked and then slowly his eyes settled onto Gibbs. The ex-Marine almost lost his resolve when he saw the pain in them, but went on anyway.

"You can do this, DiNozzo. You hear me? You WILL get through this."

Tony's face pinched and he gasped as a new wave hit him, once again reminding Gibbs of Shannon.

" I can't….I can't…Boss…..please…," Tony's voice pleaded.

What Tony thought he could do for him, what exactly he was begging for, Gibbs didn't know. That didn't stop the pang of guilt he felt when he had nothing to offer in response to the plea.

It was the fever, the sickness…..the stupid virus, talking on Tony's behalf. Gibbs knew that. Tony never begged for anything in his life…..well, except maybe for the last donut in the office.

The team leader would have given anything right then to change places with his partner, anything in the world to take the agony on to himself, but he couldn't.

It wasn't that Gibbs thought his Senior Field Agent couldn't take the pain. Hell, Tony had survived the plague. If anyone could take it, it would be Tony. It was just a part of Gibbs' nature to protect his people. It was easier to do that than to observe, powerless, as they suffered. He'd always choose being hurt himself over seeing one of his team hurt.

If some scumbag was hurting Tony, Gibbs would have made himself feel better knowing he could wrap his hands around their neck and make them pay. Or he would have talked enough to get their attention off of Tony and onto him, make them hurt him instead. Trouble was you couldn't do either of those things with a bug. You couldn't threaten it or hurt it, you could either treat it with proper medication or you could do what he was doing right then, help the other person through it the best way you knew how.

"Not going anywhere Bubba, just hang with me," Gibbs said softly, using an old nickname he'd once given the younger man when they'd first started working together.

Tony continued to thrash below him, unable to control a body wracked by so much pain that it moved of its own accord. The chest pains eased a little but now the muscle aches had returned with a vengeance. Every time Tony lay still for even a few seconds, his limbs ached and screamed at him. Again he felt the urge to move his body in that same rhythmic motion he had before. Only this time he couldn't stop, not even when he knew that what he was doing was making things worse - forcing his lungs to work harder than they needed, making the pressure on his chest worse, upping his temperature and deepening the fever-induced dehydration that was already sapping him of everything he had.

"Look at me, Tony," Gibbs said, knowing he had to get Tony to stop.

Tony heard his boss' words, but he couldn't comply.

"C'mon, DiNozzo, look at me," Gibbs tried again, attempting to pierce through the haze and get through to his partner. When he still got no response, Gibbs reached forward, cupping Tony's chin in his hand to still the rhythmic rocking. Covered in sweat, Tony's skin slipped from his fingers and he cursed. Taking a deep breath, Gibbs tried again, speaking in a soft but firm tone.

"Agent DiNozzo. Give. Me. Your. Eyes."

Somehow that got through the fog and Tony felt compelled to look up at his boss. The pain Gibbs saw staring back at him from those green orbs made him momentarily regret the order.

"You need to breathe," Gibbs demonstrated, taking a deep breath through his nose and blowing it slowly out of his mouth.

Tony tried to pull away again, moaning in protest and mumbling that he couldn't. But Gibbs held him firmly, not breaking eye contact.

"C'mon DiNozzo, with me," again Gibbs took a deep breath, this time waiting for Tony to follow suit.

The ailing man was panting uncontrollably, but unable to defy the order that came from his boss' lips as well as the one echoed in his eyes, Tony tried. Swallowing hard, he slowly attempted to pull one steady breath in through his nose.

"Good Tony," Gibbs encouraged. "Now out…..slowly," once again he pursed his own lips and blew.

Shaking from the effort to exert control on his rebellious body, Tony gradually let out the air in his lungs. The result was surprising - as the breath left his body, he felt a tiny bit of pain go with it. Not a ton, not enough to make him want to get up and dance a jig, but the relief was sufficient to make him want to try again.

Sensing it was working by the slight relaxation he saw in the other man's face, Gibbs let go of Tony but kept their eyes locked.

"Again, Tony. "

After a few minutes of this, the pain eased enough for Tony's exhausted body to give out and he fell asleep again for a little while.

Gibbs hoped that was the end of it but all too soon, his partner stirred and began speaking softly.

"Boss, can we go home now? I really want to go home now….," Tony mumbled and before Gibbs could stop him, the other man was trying to get up, to move away from the agony. His mind wasn't aware enough to know that no matter where he went, the pain would follow him, nipping at his heels like a rabid dog. In his haze, Tony mistakenly thought he could escape it, that he could walk away and he would leave it lying there behind him in on the blanket.

Moving quickly, Gibbs managed to stop the agent before he got into the fire and gently pushed him back to his makeshift bed. He had thought, stupidly thought, that once DiNozzo lost consciousness it would be better. Surely the blissfulness of sleep would take him and that would be it; that he would sleep through the worst of it.

But now he could see that the battle was far from over. The fever was kicking in with a vengeance. With its new strength it also found a voice. Using the ill man under its power, the sickness spoke to Gibbs. Spoke things that the older man knew Tony would never say in his right mind.

"Boss, I'm scared…I don't want to be scared…..but I'm like…really scared….. I know that's bad… I know that I shouldn't…"

"Hey DiNozzo," Gibbs waited until Tony's eyes were on him. "You don't worry about being scared. Hell, I'd be worried if you weren't scared. Being scared just means you're not ready to give up. So go ahead and be scared if you want, I don't give a rat's ass, you hear me?"

"But Boss…..what if this is it?... What if…I've had all my…almosts? ….What if I'm all out?"

Gibbs bit back the scathing comment he wanted to say to that. He had to remember that this wasn't really Tony talking.

"Listen up DiNozzo…'Courage is being scared to death – and saddling up anyway'. You know who said that?"

Tony shook his head.

"John Wayne. "

Tony relaxed then, his eyes drooping as he dropped off again. But Gibbs knew they were both in for a long night and if….no, when - Gibbs reminded himself to not think anything but positively, even in his own mind – Tony got through it Gibbs knew he would have to forget pretty much whatever Tony said to him this night.

Gibb couldn't trust anything that came out of his Senior Field Agent's mouth now because anything the other man said was bound to be suspect; any of it being things that Tony had kept locked away, possibly his entire life - locked behind a door that was never meant to be opened.

Unfortunately for Tony, the fever had found the key.

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_Thanks to all for reading! We've got maybe one more chapter with Tony and Gibbs alone and then I promise all will start coming right. These bits with Tony and Gibbs in the cave are the parts that have been written for this story almost from the moment it first came to me. I thought of cutting most of it down but decided against it as I really like it all. _

_I pretty much have the ending worked out too, which means that we're just a few chapters away from being done with this one! Thanks everyone for sticking with it and to my anonymous reviewer who said they'd given up on this story because it was taking too long I can only say that I never expected my life to go the way it is now. Though nor will I spend too much time apologizing for it as I'm quite happy where I've ended up. Fanfiction turned me into a full-time writer who is sometimes too busy to write fanfiction (as those who follow me on Facebook can attest, having seen my updates at all hours of the day/night). The irony isn't lost on me but I will do better in the future, even if by "better" I just mean not promising any sort of deadlines and making it known ahead of time of what a crazy schedule I have. LOL. _


	16. Chapter 16

_Hi folks! _

_To those who've been reading my other WIP, Blood Brothers, you already know this story so feel free to just skip ahead. For those who haven't read that one, then let me just say that life has been especially busy recently. __I had my first big writing assignment – traveling to Atlanta, Georgia for a visit to the set and interviews with the cast of USA's new show, Necessary Roughness. Soon after getting back from that trip, I flew out again – this time to Toronto to visit the sets of both Covert Affairs and another new show, Suits. _

_Fanfiction gave me the guts to dive into this new career so every time something new happens, I always feel the need to thank you guys so, again, thank you!_

_I apologize profusely for the delay in getting this chapter up, but I hope y'all can understand now why it's taken me a little longer to get it done. :o)_

_FYI – if you want to read any of my reports, see the pics I took from the sets, or read any of my other articles (including those for my Supernatural column), reviews, etc, then head on over to my profile page and there you will find links to my Twitter, Facebook page and Daemon's TV page – which is where all will be posted. _

_And now, on with the story!_

Chapter Sixteen

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_This time though, it wasn't just his own life he was fighting for. _

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It had been a few hours since Tony's initial outbursts and at this point Gibbs wasn't sure who was more worn out, him or his Senior Field Agent. The fever had done its best to tear the other man apart, both physically and mentally. Gibbs had heard and seen things he hoped never to see or hear again, had pulled the other man back from getting up and simply walking out of the cave, had tried to explain to him that the storm still raged outside and he would find no relief out there anyway, had turned a deaf ear as Tony raged on about his father and anything else the sickness decided to serve up from his unconsciousness. They were both exhausted and as the team leader wiped a cooling cloth across Tony's head for what had to be the millionth time, he hoped that it would be over soon. Surely Tony couldn't take much more.

Tony's eyes had been clamped shut the entire time he had raged and thrashed, more than enough evidence that the words he had been speaking weren't based on anything in the cave that night. Beasts from the past had reared their ugly heads and both men had been fighting them back left and right. But as Gibbs pressed the wet handkerchief to Tony's radiating forehead, he suddenly found a pair of green eyes staring back at him for the first time in hours.

The momentary relief Gibbs felt when he saw that Tony was awake again, dissipated quickly when he saw the look in the other man's eyes. Gibbs had been fearing that look ever since Tony started going downhill fast, since the fever had started playing tricks on the younger man's mind and wracking his body with pain.

Tony was giving up.

Gibbs knew what that meant, he had seen it in battle more times than he had wanted. Once a man gave up on life, he wasn't long for this world. It was time for last ditch efforts. In a voice so low that no one would have heard it had they even been sitting a few inches away, Gibbs spoke to himself quietly.

"Dammit DiNozzo, I need you to get pissed."

Tony, the easygoing laughable clown was a different man when someone got on his wrong side. He'd let this bug get the better of him and hadn't bothered to get mad at it. It was the one thing he needed to do now; get pissed and fight back. Fight back like he would if it were a dirtbag who'd taken a shot at his partner, like an FBI agent who blew up his car, like a forensic geek who tried to frame him for murder. He hadn't taken any of their crap and Gibbs wasn't about to let him take it from a microbe.

Hating that he had to do it, Gibbs was actually about to do something to Tony that the younger man had once done for him after Kate's death. Knowing that rage and anger were better than apathy or indifference, Gibbs tried to get Tony mad at him.

"You gonna let this thing win DiNozzo? Maybe I should make McGee my Senior Field Agent. You want that, Tony? Looks like I picked the wrong man to run my team. You can't even beat a bug? Pathetic."

But the other man didn't respond. No matter what curses, insults and epithets Gibbs threw down at him, Tony didn't stir more than a few seconds at a time, mumbling nothing that made sense and always returning immediately to unconsciousness.

Trying to incite the other man into anger had been the last thing that Gibbs could think of. As he sat back, realizing that it wasn't going to work, he felt the first stirrings of true fear. Throughout the long night he'd been worried for Tony's safety, but underneath he'd always been sure that, whatever happened, Tony would survive. He might scare the living crap out of Gibbs first, but he would always make it through.

But now Gibbs wondered if this time he might just lose the younger man after all. The helplessness that tore at him was almost more than he could bear and Gibbs was sickened to realize that there was nothing else he could do. He had exhausted every other option….

Or had he?

Looking down at the man slowly fading away before his very eyes, Gibbs had a sudden thought. There was one thing he hadn't tried yet; one thing that just might work, but was so far beyond his realm of thinking that it hadn't occurred to him until just then.

Leaning forward, the older man whispered into his partner's ear.

"DiNozzo, don't die on me…please."

It was a word not often heard coming from his mouth. Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't like it. That word was to him was like begging; like admitting that you couldn't handle something yourself and needed someone else to hold your hand. That's not how he lived his life. He didn't beg for help or ask for permission. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. Everyone else be damned.

This time it was different. This time it was something he couldn't do on his own; couldn't fix without help. He had done everything he could. Now it was up to Tony and Tony wasn't listening to him. So if he had to get down on a knee and ask for help, use a word that might actually mean something to the man lying before him, then he was sure as hell gonna try.

Somewhere inside, deep down, underneath the pain, the confusion, the fear….Tony heard Gibbs' voice. Wanting for so long to do nothing more than to give up, to have some relief, he suddenly felt something else.

Tony had decided a while ago that dying was better than the hell he was going through. Letting the darkness take him would at least give him relief. What he hadn't taken into account was what it would do to the person he probably cared more about than anyone else in the world. A man who, despite his gruff demeanor, had become more like family than Tony had ever known. More of a father than the man he hadn't spoken to in years.

Tony had only been thinking of himself, how much pain he was in, how much he needed to let go. Now he realized that the pain he felt was nothing compared to what Gibbs would go through if he died. Tony hadn't been there when Gibbs had lost his wife and daughter. By the time they'd met, the older man had placed their memory far into his soul. Hidden away in a closet that even he couldn't reach, it stayed there until an accident brought it all back to the surface. The closet doors had busted down and he'd had to deal with it all again.

That was when Tony got to see it, the pain his boss had worked so hard to hide. He'd also seen how long it took for the pain to recede enough for the man to get back to a normal life. Months spent in Mexico, time on a beach with only an old friend as company. Tony had seen how much Gibbs had needed it.

Tony didn't know if Gibbs would survive it again. He knew that he was Gibbs' family now. The whole team was a family, but Tony more than anyone. They never discussed it; never brought it out into the light, but it was there.

If Tony died, Gibbs would in essence lose another child. A man might be able to survive that once in his life, but could he do it twice?

Tony had only been thinking of himself for the past little while; with no energy left to keep up the semblance of humor or their usual banter. Hearing Gibbs talk like that, using a word that hardly ever left his lips, an odd instinct kicked into gear. It had nothing to do with keeping himself alive, instead it was a protective impulse towards his boss. The thing clawed its way out of his soul and reared its head, hissing in anger at the sickness. It was the same instinct that had thrown him into freezing cold water to save his boss and the girl that had been Kelly's best friend. Self-preservation should have told him to stay on shore and call for help, as a man with scarred lungs had no business going into water that cold, especially twice. But Tony had turned a deaf ear to self preservation and told it to kiss his ass.

Tony knew then that he wasn't just fighting just for himself; he was fighting for Gibbs, too. He knew that if he died, Gibbs just might die too. Maybe not at his own hand, maybe he'd just find all the dangerous cases, take all the crazy chances he could until someone else did it for him. He'd keep going until the bullet with his name written on it found him. Or maybe he'd retire for real this time and end up in his basement with his boat, his bourbon and nothing else, fading away into nothingness.

Fighting back the darkness, Tony knew what he had to do. He had to fight to live.

This time though, it wasn't just his own life he was fighting for.

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_Thanks again for reading! Right now it looks like this story has maybe one or two more chapters and then it will be done! One never knows what the Muse will do but that's how it looks at the moment. I'm going to try really hard to get the last chapters done ASAP, but if I have to hop on another plane, there may be a slight delay again. LOL. _


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey folks!_

_I know it's been a while since I've posted but once you see what I have been up to recently, I have a feeling you may forgive me…..maybe. As I posted a few months ago, I've been working really hard getting my freelance writing career off the ground (again, a big thanks to all my fanfiction fans for all the support that helped me to get to this point)._

_Last month I experienced something, well, rather surreal. Writing as I do for Daemon's TV, I've gotten somewhat used to getting to be a part of all of my favorite television shows. But when I went to Comic Con in San Diego a few weeks ago, I got to experience it on a whole new level. As a full-fledged member of the press, I visited many press rooms at the convention. The highlight of the week being when I got the chance to interview the casts of both Supernatural and NCIS: Los Angeles. _

_To see videos of the interviews, check out my profile page. I've put a link there to my blog post all about my adventures at Comic Con, which includes the videos from my NCIS:LA and Supernatural interviews. To see the rest, feel free to follow the other link on my profile to my author's page at Daemon's TV. At the con, I also did interviews with people from Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, Psych, Being Human, Falling Skies and many more shows. _

_And now back to my current adventure with Tony and Gibbs. Looks like we probably have only one more chapter to go. Thanks to everyone for sticking it out with me! Y'all rock!_

Chapter Seventeen

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"I can do it."

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Gibbs woke suddenly with an involuntary gasp, momentarily disoriented, not sure why his adrenaline was pumping so fast. With a rush, he remembered why he was on edge and practically vaulted off the ground where he'd laid down across from DiNozzo.

Why had he fallen asleep? He hadn't meant to, he had meant to keep an eye on Tony the entire night. What the hell was wrong with him? How long had he been out?

Those questions ran through his mind as he got up and looked at the man lying nearby. Tony's skin was pale and a light sheen reflected off the light coming from the embers still burning in the fire.

Gibbs reached out to feel for a pulse on Tony's neck. He saw a tremble in his hand and yanked it back, shaking it out for a few seconds until the fingers were loose. He told himself logically that he did it so that there would be no motion to mask a feeble heartbeat. Deep down he knew that it was because he couldn't stand to see fear manifesting itself physically in his body like that. To see it was to admit that there was a reason to fear – to admit that he had wondered if there was going to be a heartbeat at all.

After discovering the reassuring beat, Gibbs noticed something else. Something was different about Tony. It wasn't that the younger man looked better; he just didn't look quite as sick as he had before. Like a cold winter day that somehow bespoke of spring just by being not _as_ cold – Gibbs could see the signs of life stirring in Tony again.

"Attaboy Tony," Gibbs said approvingly, letting his hand slide down from Tony's neck to the man's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Suddenly there was a new noise in the cave, something that Gibbs hadn't heard in so long that he wasn't sure at first if he was imagining it.

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"Yes!" McGee cried suddenly in triumph, causing Ziva to start and open her eyes suddenly, wakening from a doze.

"What is it McGee?" She asked, rising from her chair in the corner and quickly heading to where he sat.

"I knew if I tweaked the range and made adjustments to the…."

"McGee," Ziva prodded gently and he looked up sheepishly.

"Sorry, talking to myself. I made some adjustments and was able to strengthen my signal."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I think I just got a ping off of the boss' phone and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a call into him."

McGee was already pulling out the sat phone and punching in numbers. He held the device to his ear, his face as hopeful as a little boy running downstairs on Christmas morning, hoping to find the firetruck he asked for under the tree.

For a few agonizing seconds, the phone simply rang and McGee's face began to fall ever so subtly. Then suddenly he grinned and Ziva sighed in relief as she listened to his end of the conversation.

"Boss? …..yes, I managed to get a signal from the phone and….no…yes, Boss….Ziva is here, we're in town at the…sure, Boss…..is Tony?..."

At that, Ziva looked at McGee more intently, eager to hear news about their ailing team mate. McGee quickly smiled reassuringly and she relaxed again.

"That's great news Boss…..yeah I have a fix on your location now and I'll call in your coordinates to the nearest rescue chopper. You and Tony just sit tight for a little longer and we'll have you out of there as soon as the sun comes up…got it, Boss."

McGee hung up the phone, barely putting the device down before his hands were already tapping out instructions on the laptop as he worked on getting his team mates to safety.

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A while later and many miles away, Gibbs felt his gut twinge. Something was up. He looked to Tony and saw that he was still peacefully sleeping after the fever had finally broken, giving the younger man some respite. Not that he was out of the woods, but at least there wasn't an immediate danger of losing him.

Satisfied that his agent was okay, Gibbs looked over at the horses and found them gazing back at him. They had been going in and out of the cave to eat and drink, making quick trips and then stomping back in as a group, shaking the water from their coats and huddling together at the outer edge of the warmth generated by the fire. As he watched, Comanche's head rose with ears pricked as she looked towards the cave entrance.

Too used to the mare's innate instincts to ignore them, Gibbs followed her gaze and his brow furrowed as he struggled to make sense of what his eyes were seeing. It was then that he realized how quiet it had gotten outside.

Standing up, Gibbs walked to the mouth of their shelter and could not believe his eyes. The sun was rising over the hill on the other side of the river (the level of which had gone down significantly). There wasn't a cloud to be seen. It looked like they might actually be catching a break in this nightmare.

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"Eat this, Tony."

Tony turned away instinctively, the smell of the food making his stomach crawl. He had woken a couple of hours after dawn and ever since then, his boss had been trying alternately to get either food or water down his throat. He was starting to feel like a baby chick, being stuffed by its mother until its innards gorged with food.

"I can't," Tony turned his head away again and swallowed against the nausea that threatened. Gibbs was obviously trying to help him get his strength back, but Tony wasn't so sure this was the way to do it.

"Yes you can."

"I'm not hungry."

"I didn't ask."

"Boss, if I eat that I'm just gonna throw it back up, I swear."

"You wanna go home?"

"Yes."

"Then eat."

Tony eyed the spoonful of beans warily.

"You're not gonna start making airplane noises at me now, are you Boss?"

"No but I will shove it in your mouth if you don't shut up and eat it."

Before Tony could reply, Gibbs' phone rang, giving him a momentary respite from being force-fed. Giving Tony a glare that promised that they would be continuing this conversation as soon as he was done, Gibbs answered.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hey Boss," McGee's voice sounded hesitant over the line.

"McGee? What's happening? When's the rescue team getting here?"

"Sorry Boss, I just got off the phone with the rescue captain and apparently they've categorized Tony's condition as "stable"….. and the storm, well it was pretty big. There were a lot of people to be rescued and they had to put you two near the end of the list after….."

"McGee, what are you telling me?" Gibbs interrupted the younger man, wanting him to get to the point.

"The chopper won't be there for at least another 24 hours."

Gibbs wanted to scream. He wanted to throw things. He wanted to shoot off his gun. He wanted to do _something_ to display the anger he felt just then. Instead, he slid his thumb across his brow, massaging the headache that was forming there.

"Boss?" McGee was worried the phone line had dropped off.

"Yeah, McGee, I'm here."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing, McGee."

Gibbs ended the call, fighting another urge to throw the damn thing against the nearest rock wall just so he could have the pleasure of seeing it shatter into a million pieces. He was fairly certain it might make him feel better. He was also fairly certain that it was a stupid thing to do.

He stood there for a few moments and tried to think. Tony was better, thank God, and truth be told he would probably survive another night out in the cave. But what if he was wrong? What if they were just in a lull before another wave of new symptoms hit? Tony had been going through a lot of ups and downs with this illness and Gibbs had no way of knowing whether this was an "up" that was about to be followed by another "down.". Also, no matter what, the man needed to be seen by a doctor.

Gibbs had a decision to make. Should they wait it out and risk Tony's condition getting worse again or risk the choppers getting called away to other more urgent cases, delaying them even further? It sounded like the entire region was in a state of emergency and there was no telling when Tony's name would come up on the roster of pickups.

The really annoying part of the whole thing was the fact that they weren't all that far away from the stable. Wandering out to answer nature's call while Tony slept, Gibbs had noticed where Comanche's Cave (which he'd now dubbed the place in his head) was in relation to their original trail. Though it had felt like hours and hours when they'd been riding in the rain and dark, they had only gone off course by maybe a mile or two.

A few hours of riding, tops, and they'd be back to civilization. But would Tony be able to make it? Was it worse for them to stay another night out, without any sort of medical care for a sick man, or to try and brave a physically demanding trip through the desert? The weather was fine for now, but would it hold? There were so many variables, too many, for a man like Gibbs.

"Boss, I can do it."

Gibbs looked across the fire at the man sitting in front of him. Tony had of course heard enough of the conversation with McGee to understand what was happening. He had also read his boss' body language and knew exactly what the older man was thinking.

"Look Gibbs, you've done nothing but coddle me for the past day or so. Now, I'm not saying I didn't need it at first but I'm better now. I can make a damn four hour ride."

"DiNozzo…," Gibbs began, but Tony was adamant.

"I can do it."


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey folks! Well here it is, finally, the last chapter of this story. Thanks so much to all of you who stuck with me through this one and especially those who kept sending me PMs to ask when it would be finished. That helped so much!_

_A lot has happened since my last update and you can see more info if you go to my profile page but I'll just say that I've been working and traveling (for work) a lot, as well as some other big projects. One big project that has been started is my own original novel. I even have a publisher interested in it so if all goes well, you should see that soon. Also I just finished filming a reality TV show a few weeks ago (yes, you read that right). I can't say what show it was or what it's about yet, but keep checking my profile page as well as my twitter feeds, Facebook, etc. As soon as I'm allowed to announce it, I will. Promise!_

_For now, let's get back to the story. Hope you guys like the ending. :o)_

_-Moki_

Chapter 18

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"_Yep. Second 'B', remember?"_

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"Gibbs, this ride would go a hell of a lot faster if you would stop checking on me every two minutes."

Tony couldn't quite help the frustration that leaked its way into his voice. The truth was he felt like total crap but he didn't want to say that; afraid that it would make Gibbs' hovering even worse. Besides, as bad as he felt, it was still a whole lot better than before. He wanted to just keep on riding. It's not like they had much of a choice anyway.

"Don't get pissy, DiNozzo," Gibbs grumbled back, getting ready to march his horse forward once again.

"But I thought you wanted me pissed, Boss." Tony grinned mischievously, losing a bit of his momentary bad mood as he realized his own joke.

Shaking his head with the slightest chuckle, Gibbs pulled his horse forward and rode ahead. If his Senior Field Agent was feeling well enough to make cracks at his expense, he was definitely doing better than Gibbs thought. Maybe it was time to stop pecking at him like a mother hen and just get the ride done.

They rode on for a while in silence, Gibbs fighting every urge to stop and check on Tony at five-minute intervals. Letting his ears be his guide to how the other man was doing, Gibbs kept them trained on the horse behind him and listened for the slightest difference in the animal's steps. If Tony was going to go down, no doubt his horse would be the first to know.

"Boss."

At the sound of Tony's voice, Gibbs pulled his horse to an immediate stop, ready to jump off and help the other man with whatever he needed. When Gibbs looked back though, he didn't see Tony looking any worse than he did the last time. What Gibbs did see what Tony looking intently into a nearby rock face, staring transfixed at what he saw there.

"What do you see DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, wary that the ride may have tired his agent enough to bring back the fever and the hallucinations from before.

But Tony wasn't listening, instead he held his hand out slowly. "It's okay boy, no one's going to hurt you."

Now fearing that Tony wasn't hallucinating but had just invited a mountain lion or some other wild creature to join them, he began to turn his horse so that he could go back and stop him.

"Wait, Boss. I almost got him to come out."

"DiNozzo we're not taking any wild animals back with us."

"Shh!" Tony shushed Gibbs quietly, stopping the older man in his tracks. Apparently his Senior Field Agent wasn't joking around. Gibbs waited.

Keeping his eyes trained on the small opening in the rock, Gibbs kept one hand over his gun, prepared to shoot the visitor if it turned out not to be as friendly as Tony apparently assumed it to be. Within another minute, Gibbs heard tentative steps and soon saw a shadow along the wall, moving slowly.

"Come on….," Tony coughed again, making Gibbs frown. They needed to get back to safety and this was wasting valuable time. But looking at the intense concentration on Tony's face, Gibbs held his peace.

"That's it, good boy…." Tony broke into a huge grin and Gibbs' eyebrows shot up as a nose poked itself out of the small cave, followed by the body of a bay horse, fully saddled and bridled, with a white blaze on its head. The animal walked slowly up to Tony's outstretched hand, sniffing gently before allowing himself to be scratched.

"What do you think, Boss? Can we keep him?" Tony looked at Gibbs in triumph.

"Well I'll be damned." Gibbs replied.

"Must be Elizabeth Sax's horse, don't you think, Boss? I bet she rode as close as she dared to Dina's place then let the fellow go. He probably would've made it home too, if the storm hadn't come up. Poor guy." Tony kept scratching at the horse's neck, then reached forward to pull the reins over the animal's ears.

"Okay Boss, let's all get back home now."

Gibbs shook his head then nodded, pulling his horse forward again, marveling at the way Tony was always looking out for the welfare of others – even wayward animals - above his own.

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"McGee, you do realize that looking at the horizon for Gibbs and Tony every other minute will not make them come any faster, right?" Ziva asked after she watched her partner pace over to the highest ridge near the riding stable. When they had arrived, McGee had pondered getting Jake to give them a couple of horses so they could right out and meet Gibbs and Tony. He had quickly given up on that the idea. Considering how badly their last trip on horseback had gone, McGee figured they should leave the riding up to the experts.

Jake had offered to ride out, but McGee had assured the man that Gibbs and Tony would make it just fine. Now after an hour of waiting and watching, he was wondering if that had been the best idea. Maybe he should have let the older man go out and check to see if something hadn't happened to their friends.

Ziva had told Jake that they had been delayed by the storm and unable to go back home to see their children; keeping up with their original cover. Jake had seemed a little surprised but mostly just wanted to make sure that the two men, and his horses, came back okay.

McGee kept his gaze trained on the farthest part of the trail that he could see from his vantage point. Sighing dejectedly, he was about to turn away when something caught his eye. Squinting in the sun, he looked closer and felt a smile cross his features as he saw his boss and partner clearly.

As the pair came closer, McGee's grin fell slightly and he turned to look at Ziva. They could both see that though Tony was riding on his own, he definitely didn't look well.

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"How's it going DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, peering over his shoulder to look back at his Senior Field Agent.

"Hunky dory, Boss. Don't worry about me," Tony replied, his statement punctuated with a few coughs. Now that they were nearly there, whatever strength reserves he'd had at the beginning of the ride were about done. Even rescuing Sax's wayward horse, who Tony had decided to call "Oliver" ("He's kinda like an orphan, Gibbs, since we found him out here all alone.") had only given him some extra strength for a short while. Leaning heavily on to the saddle horn, Tony was now struggling just to keep himself upright, as well as keep hold of Oliver's reins. He'd made it this far and he was going to be damned if he was going to fall off again. Especially in front of McGee and Ziva.

"C'mon Tony, you can do it." Gibbs whispered to himself as they both rode on.

Tony needed to do this last bit on his own. Gibbs hadn't missed the determination and maybe just a touch of humiliation in those eyes when Tony had declared he could make it the rest of the way. Tony didn't want to be rescued. He didn't want to show up in front of his friends on anything less than his own steam. Well, maybe his steam plus that of a four-legged friend.

And even though Gibbs wanted to stop, to take the younger man down off of his horse and carry him back if he had to, the team leader wasn't going to do it. He was going to let Tony win this one battle. Maybe it was exactly what his senior field agent needed to let go of the terrible memories that had plagued him when the fever came. Gibbs knew Tony was ashamed of some of the things he said and having to be carted in from the desert like an invalid was just going to add insult to injury.

So as much as it hurt Gibbs to see his agent suffering, he did nothing to stop it. Unless Tony looked like he was going to actually fall off that horse, Gibbs was going to stay where he was, riding ahead and letting the younger man take the steps he needed to feel like a man again.

As they finally approached the stable, Gibbs saw his other agents standing on the hill and waved to show that they were okay. McGee and Ziva didn't need to know that Tony was barely staying on his horse and Tony certainly didn't need their pitying looks.

Gibbs pulled his horse up, stopping in front of McGee, Ziva and Jake. The old stable owner walked forward to take hold of the reins.

"Glad to see you and your man made it back okay, Jethro. That storm was a doozy and from what I hear, there's another one not too far behind it."

The team leader only nodded, all of his attention currently on Tony's slow descent from the saddle. Dismounting his own horse quickly, Gibbs was there to stand by and make sure Tony didn't collapse, while staying back to let Tony stand on his own (if shaky) feet.

"Hey Jake, got room for an extra mouth? We found a stray on our way back." Tony said with a strained smile, holding out Oliver's reins.

Jake had already tied both Gibbs' and Dina's horses to a nearby rail and turned back when he heard his name.

"I know that horse. A buddy of mine a few miles up the road reported this one missing a couple days ago. Someone showed up to his place in the middle of the night and snatched the gelding right out of the barn, gear and all. He'll be mighty grateful to you folks for finding him. Much obliged."

Noting with concern that Tony's strength was waning fast, Gibbs spoke up.

"McGee, bring the car up. DiNozzo has won himself a trip to the nearest doctor."

McGee ran off and Ziva walked up worriedly. "Are you okay, Tony?"

"I'm good. Nothing a few days rest and maybe a hot nurse or two won't fix." Tony replied, getting into the backseat of the car as McGee pulled up.

"He'll live. C'mon DiNozzo, hospital is the next stop on this vacation," Gibbs ordered, surprising everyone when he didn't take the keys from McGee and instead jumped into the backseat. Finding that his agents had thought ahead and placed blankets on the seats, he handed one to Tony.

With effusive thanks to Jake for taking care of the horses, as well as brief instructions on when Comanche should be picked up by her owner, McGee drove away from the stable.

As soon as they pulled away, Tony laid his head against the back of the seat, closing his eyes and letting the exhaustion take him.

_**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**_

"Yeah Duck, the docs here already told me all that," Gibbs was saying, pacing quietly in the hallway outside Tony's room. As soon as they had arrived, the medical staff had whisked the younger man away, setting him up in a room and giving him the treatments he needed.

Gibbs had sent McGee and Ziva back to the hotel to get some real rest. Meanwhile, he had managed to catch a few winks in the chair by Tony's bed. By some miracle Tony had beaten off most of the illness on his own. Once allowed to rest in a warm bed, with plenty of fluids and some antibiotics to help his body battle the last bits of the valley fever, he was doing pretty well for a man Gibbs hadn't been sure would survive just hours ago. The worst seemed past them now and he had taken advantage of the quiet to call Ducky and update him on Tony's condition.

"They say a few days, then he can probably head home, as long as we promise to keep an eye on him there. No, I'm sending Ziva and McGee back tomorrow. I'll bring Tony back myself. They have cases to work on."

After talking to his friend for a while longer, Gibbs hung up the phone, staring at it for a moment as he stood alone in the hallway.

"You can go home too you know, Boss," a voice said quietly from inside the room. Gibbs looked up to find Tony blinking at him sleepily. Gibbs was grateful to see only fatigue in those eyes and not the pain and fever he had seen in them recently.

Walking into the room, Gibbs again took the seat next to Tony's bed.

"Nope, not gonna happen DiNozzo. Seems like every time I let you out of my sight recently, you find a way to get into trouble. I'm taking you home so that I can make sure you make it and don't somehow get lost on the way or pick up another deadly disease before you get there."

"Aw Boss, you were worried about me." Tony said with a sly grin.

"Worried? Nah. Do you realize the stack of paperwork that's on your desk right now? You think I'm going to fill all that out for you, you're crazy."

Tony groaned but chuckled a little bit too, happy that his boss wasn't being easy on him. He'd had enough of that in the past few days.

"Gibss, you're a bastard, you know that?"

Gibbs chuckled himself, also happy that his Senior Field Agent felt well enough to give him some lip.

"Yep. Second 'B', remember?"

The End


End file.
